Full Tory Caucus Signs Statement Condemning Rising Anti-Semitism in Canada

The entire federal Conservative caucus has endorsed a statement denouncing the increase of anti-Semitism in Canada.

The move comes after 32 Liberal MPs issued a similar statement this week in the wake of an elderly Jewish woman being stabbed in an Ottawa grocery store late last month in what city police described as an unprovoked and “hate-motivated” attack.

Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman announced the collective decision of the party’s 144 members through a social media post that pointed to the rise in anti-Semitic sentiments in Canada since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel triggered a war in the Gaza strip.

“Conservatives are outraged by yet another vile anti-Semitic attack, this time at a grocery store in Ottawa,” the Sept. 4 statement reads. “For too long, the government has been silent and absent. All Conservatives will stand up and protect the Jewish community in Canada, even when the government won’t.”

Tory Leader Pierre Poilievere took to social media to comment on the party’s “unanimous” statement of support for all Jewish people living in Canada.

“All Conservative MPs (every single one of them) have signed this letter to stand in solidarity with our Jewish community against the evil of anti-Semitism,” Poilievere wrote on X.

Both the Tory and Liberal statement referenced the Aug. 27 knife attack at an Ottawa Loblaws in which the Jewish victim sustained serious injuries. A 71-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault and possessing a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident.

MP Anthony Housefather published the Liberals’ statement on social media, which was signed by cabinet ministers Evan Solomon, Julie Dabrusin, Rebecca Alty, and 29 other members of parliament, including himself, on Aug. 31.

The statement said Jewish Canadians have the right to feel safe in their own country but there is currently a “deep sense of unease, fear and unsafety” among many individuals in that community.

“This spreading hate is a call to action for all Canadians, all levels of government, law enforcement, schools, public institutions and places of work,” the statement said.

Lantsman, who is Jewish, criticized the government over the statement, citing a lack of representation in that 137 Liberal MPs did not sign the document.

“The rest don’t see a problem — or see votes,” she said on social media.

Housefather, who is also Jewish, responded to the criticism saying just because only 32 MPs signed the Liberal statement doesn’t mean that others didn’t want to participate.

“The letter was drafted and signatures gathered over 24 hours on a holiday weekend,” he said. “Originally it was going to be from Jewish caucus and then we asked some others. Virtually everyone who was asked signed on and others have when they saw it today.”

Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith praised the Tories for unanimously supporting the Jewish community with its statement.

“A unanimous response to hate should not be controversial,” the group wrote on X. “The devolving crisis of antisemitism requires every MP to act now. As parliament resumes, it is imperative that tangible actions be implemented to address this crisis.”

There has been a rise in shootings and arsons that specifically target Jewish facilities and businesses since Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel, including molotov cocktails thrown at synagogues and empty Jewish schools being sprayed with bullets.

Recent statistics have indicated that while the Jewish community represents slightly more than 1 percent of the population in Canada, its members account for 70 percent of all hate crimes targeting religious groups. The 2021 Census recorded 335,295 Jews residing in Canada, while Statistics Canada noted 920 police-reported hate crimes aimed at Jews in 2024.