OTTAWA — Nearly all Jewish post-secondary students surveyed for a new federally supported report said they had experienced or witnessed "antisemitism" during the previous year.The Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences report was released Wednesday by the Office of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.The study drew responses from about 900 Jewish students across Canada, who answered nearly 40 questions dealing with classroom experiences, campus climate, threats, violence, institutional responses, mental health and academic consequences.Students also submitted several hundred written accounts describing their experiences in their own words.“The central finding here is very clear: antisemitism on Canadian campuses is neither isolated nor episodic,” Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies, told reporters on Parliament Hill.Jedwab said 95% of respondents reported experiencing or witnessing at least one form of "antisemitism" during the previous year, while 90% said they encountered it either often or occasionally..He described the findings as evidence of a “systemic phenomenon.”The figures reflect the experiences reported by students who participated in the survey and do not represent independently verified incidents.More than half of respondents reported experiencing or witnessing intimidation or threats directed at Jews, according to Jedwab.Approximately one in five said they often or occasionally experienced or witnessed physical violence directed at Jewish people.Seven in 10 respondents said their university did not take "antisemitism" seriously, while the same proportion said their campus was not a safe and inclusive environment for Jewish students.Only one in three reported an incident to university authorities.“Low reporting must therefore not be mistaken for a low incidence of antisemitism,” Jedwab said. “It reflects a lack of confidence that reporting will lead to meaningful action.”Former University of British Columbia president Martha Piper said the findings also pointed to an institutional failure to respond.“We do not need any more studies, committees or task forces to confirm the issue or define the underlying causes,” she said. “The time for decisive action is now.”.Piper called on universities to publicly declare that "antisemitism" will not be tolerated, enforce their existing codes of conduct and work with governments to create an accountability framework.She said universities already have policies and procedures intended to protect other groups facing hatred or discrimination.“All we’re saying is that we should enact those same procedures for students who believe they have been discriminated against because of their Jewish identity,” Piper said.Alexa Barett-Taller, a Jewish and Dominican graduate of Carleton University, said her identity became something she felt she had to conceal while attending university.“No student should have to calculate whether being honest about who they are will make them a target,” she said.“Universities should challenge our ideas, not our right to exist.”A statement delivered on behalf of Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller called the report’s findings “alarming.”The statement cited Statistics Canada data showing Jewish Canadians were targeted in 71% of police-reported hate crimes motivated by religion.“Every student should be able to walk onto campus, express who they are, practise their faith, build their friendships and pursue their ambitions with equal access and without fear,” Miller’s statement said.Following the press conference, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, B’nai Brith Canada and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a joint statement calling for action from university leaders and governments.Their statement cited the report’s figure as 96%, rather than the rounded 95% figure presented during the press conference.“At a time when synagogues, Jewish schools, and Jewish-owned businesses are being shot at and firebombed, and when Jews are disproportionately the victims of hate crimes, this report makes clear that antisemitism has also taken root in our public institutions — including our universities,” the organizations said.The groups urged governments and university administrators to consider the report and recommendations released by the Network of Engaged Canadian Academics.“The drivers of this hatred — including antizionism — are well known, and the time to act is now,” they said. “We need concrete actions to protect Canadian students.”
