Ottawa Against Antisemitism and End Jew Hatred
Ottawa Against Antisemitism highlighted the normalization of antisemitism in elementary and secondary schools. OAA insists on immediate action to #EndJewHatred and keep Jewish students, staff, and families safe. OAA focuses on educating with facts while enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against hate.
National Respectful Dialogue Initiative
The National Respectful Dialogue Initiative's submission emphasized the importance of promoting respectful dialogue and understanding to combat antisemitism and other forms of hatred, urging the adoption of strategies across educational institutions and government bodies.
Canadian Federation of Jewish Medical Associations (CFJMA)
CFJMA's submission detailed the pervasive antisemitism within Canadian medical faculties and recommended linking funding and accreditation to the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism to ensure protection and equality for Jewish medical professionals.
Law students at the University of Ottawa
3 students from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (Arjun Gupta, Ferdous Hasan, and Shayna Horvath) highlighted the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia on university campuses and advocated for increased collaboration and involvement of Jewish and Muslim student leadership to combat hate.
Submissions on Antisemitism
Hearing #2
May 23, 2024:
This hearing included testimony from Deborah Lyons (Special Envoy), Dr. James A. Diamond (Joseph & Wolf Lebovic Chair of Jewish Studies, University of Waterloo), Richard Robertson (B’nai Brith Canada), Richard Marceau (Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs), Dr. Ted Rosenberg (physician), Dr. Deidre Butler (Network of Engaged Canadian Academics), Dr. Cary Kogan (Network of Engaged Canadian Academics), and Jaime Kirzner-Roberts (Simon Wiesenthal Center Canada).
Hearing #3
May 27, 2024:
This hearing included testimony from Mark Sandler (ALCCA), Sheryl Saperia (Secure Canada), Chief Robert Johnson (Toronto Police), Det. Sgt. Kiran Bisla (Toronto Police), Gabriel Miller (Universities Canada), Dr. Graham Carr (Concordia), Prof. Deep Saini (McGill), Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon (University of British Columbia), Prof. Meric Gertler (University of Toronto).
Watch the Hearings
MAY - JUNE 2024
The Parliamentary Hearings
In May and June 2024, ALCCA members presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. ALCCA members gave oral and written testimony about the rapidly growing problem of antisemitic activity on university campuses across Canada and its pervasiveness in other institutions and learning environments.
Canadian Women Against Antisemitism (CWAA)
CWAA’s submission discussed the TDSB’s implementation plan for anti-Palestinian racism (APR). CWAA expressed concern that TDSB must not favour one ethnicity over others and recommended (1) removing APR as a separate category of discrimination, and (2) reviewing current EDI policies to better incorporate Islamophobia, antisemitism, and other forms of discrimination.
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)
CIJA’s submission addressed key concerns with the adoption of the concept of APR by the Government, such as freedom of expression implications, lack of comprehensive debate, and inconsistency with Canadian foreign policy. CIJA provided recommendations on how to tackle Islamophobia and antisemitism without zero-sum dynamics.
Jewish Educators and Family Association (JEFA)
JEFA’s submission highlighted the incompatibility of APR with the IHRA definition of antisemitism and discussed the practical implications of APR policies, including the silencing of Jewish people, and the informal incorporation of APR into the education system.
David Davis
David Davis’s submission discussed the problematic nature of Jasmine Zine’s brief, expressing that it inaccurately frames Israel's response to the October 7th attack as Islamophobic and anti-Muslim, misattributes quotes and accusations to Israeli leaders, and criticizes opposition to antisemitism without evidence while misrepresenting the nature of divestment campaigns and the IHRA definition of antisemitism.