Ruby Sahota, the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime, speaks in the House of Commons in February.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Antisemitic incidents in Canada have soared since the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023. A Jewish elementary school and synagogues have been struck by gunfire. A Jewish woman in her 70s was stabbed at an Ottawa grocery store known for kosher products. And last week, Canadians received another alarming piece of news.
Ruby Sahota, the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime, said that the Toronto synagogue shootings were linked to “a foreign entity.” This is deeply disturbing, as it means that in addition to homegrown antisemitic acts, Jewish Canadians may also be facing threats from state-sponsored terror groups.
Synagogue shooters were hired by a foreign entity, Secretary of State for Combatting Crime says
Canadians need answers from Ottawa. What is the foreign entity? What has it been involved in? And what is Ottawa doing to reduce threats and keep the Jewish Canadian community safe?
It’s becoming clear that around the world, Jewish communities are being targeted by Iran, a regime that has made the hatred of Jews one of its centrepieces for decades. In Australia, security officials blamed Iran for arson attacks on a synagogue and a Jewish restaurant.
In Britain and Europe, security experts believe that Iranian intelligence services are recruiting teenagers through criminal intermediaries for antisemitic attacks. These “hybrid warfare” attacks are intended to destabilize U.S. allies and harm Jewish communities.
Canadian officials have not publicly made a direct link between the synagogue attacks, which Toronto police say were carried out by a gun-for-hire network, and the Iranian regime. However, suspicions were raised about an Iranian connection last month.
Shootings at U.S. consulate, synagogues in Toronto linked to gun-for-hire network, police say
The U.S. Justice Department alleged that an Iraqi terrorist with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was recorded boasting that his “people” were responsible for attacks in Canada. The FBI believes he was referring to the shooting at the U.S. consulate and an unspecified synagogue attack.
Canada’s approach to antisemitism in all levels of government needs to be revamped to address these realities. A recent Senate report, for example, emphasizes the need for an interdepartmental task force and more education and training about antisemitism. These are worthy initiatives, but they do little to stop paid gunmen from targeting synagogues.
Likewise, the federal program that partially offsets the heavy costs Jewish institutions are paying for security measures is essential, but without more aggressive policing and security work, video cameras may document crimes, rather than prevent them. Individual synagogues and schools can’t be left alone to defend themselves against foreign terror.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent speech on antisemitism fell flat, in part because he didn’t tackle the issue of antizionism – the complete rejection of Israel’s existence.
Editorial: The missing words in Mark Carney’s antisemitism speech
The Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Safety, the director of CSIS and the Commissioner of the RCMP need to talk more candidly about the nature of the threats and what they are doing to protect the community. This must go beyond generic calls about the merits of diversity – authorities must put more resources into preventing attacks.
After a slow start, security officials do seem to be taking antisemitism more seriously. The Toronto police recently arrested five people who displayed or distributed antisemitic signs at a pro-Palestinian protest. CSIS has stepped up operations to combat activity directed by Iran, which is believed to be targeting individuals in Canada who are critical of the regime.
Jewish Canadians are living in fear, and it needs to end. But this isn’t just an issue for a single community. Antisemitism tears at the fabric of Canadian society.
The network of shooters-for-hire alleged to have targeted synagogues was connected to probes of other major crimes, such as shootings at buildings belonging to waste company GFL Environmental and tow-truck companies. A recent police raid on the shooters-for-hire operation left one officer dead, a married father of two.
Antisemitism is a cancer, and it must be rooted out – both the homegrown varieties and those being directed from abroad. In order to fight it, Canadians need to know exactly what we are facing. Ottawa needs to shed more light now on what is known.