TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the creation of a new federal advisory council to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate on Monday, but the initiative was met with swift backlash from members of the Jewish community and online commentators who questioned the inclusion of former Liberal cabinet minister Omar Alghabra.Carney unveiled the new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion during a speech at Holy Blossom Temple, Canada's oldest synagogue, where community leaders warned that antisemitism has become increasingly normalized across the country.The reaction to the announcement quickly overshadowed the details of the council itself.Critics on social media and within pro-Israel circles expressed outrage over Alghabra's reported appointment to the body. Before entering federal politics, Alghabra served as president of the Canadian Arab Federation, which advocated for the removal of Hamas and Hezbollah from Canada's list of terrorist organizations. Critics also pointed to his positions on Middle East issues, alleging he has not explicitly condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and highlighting his support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).The criticism spread rapidly online, with many Jewish Canadians questioning how someone viewed by critics as sympathetic to organizations hostile to Israel could be tasked with helping guide federal policy on combating antisemitism.The controversy emerged only minutes after community leaders delivered stark warnings about the state of antisemitism in Canada..In a video address played before Carney's speech, Holy Blossom senior Rabbi Yael Splansky said many Jewish Canadians increasingly feel forced to choose between expressing their Jewish identity and feeling safe in public."Many Jewish Canadians feel we are presented with an impossible choice: either stay in the public domain and hide your Jewish identity at school, or on campus, on social media, or in the workplace, or retreat from public spaces," she said.Splansky argued that antisemitism is not solely a Jewish concern but a broader Canadian issue requiring government action."Jewish citizens cannot rid the country of antisemitism. Only government can govern," she said.The rabbi said Jewish institutions increasingly require extensive security measures and warned that many in the community no longer feel fully protected by the freedoms guaranteed under the Charter.."In five swift years, Canada has gone from being one of the world's most desirable places to raise a Jewish family to one of the world's most dangerous," Splansky said.She added that synagogues, schools and community centres should not have to operate as "fortresses" and warned that "when hate is tolerated, it grows."Toronto-St. Paul's MP Leslie Church echoed those concerns, recounting how her young daughter questioned why police officers were stationed outside a synagogue during a recent visit."We've never had to pass a police officer to go to our church or to her school," Church said. "But that's the daily reality of our Jewish community."Church said antisemitism has "come out of the shadows and onto our streets" since the October 7 attacks and argued that combating it is "not a Jewish issue, it is a Canadian one."Addressing the congregation and a national audience, Carney described antisemitism as a direct challenge to Canada's social fabric."Antisemitism has surged to levels not seen in the post-war period," he said.Carney cited attacks on synagogues, Jewish schools, businesses and Holocaust memorials, arguing that Canada's tradition of pluralism is being tested."Our fundamental insight as Canadians is that unity is not uniformity," Carney said. "Our differences are strengths to be nurtured, not risks to be managed."The prime minister acknowledged that Jewish Canadians increasingly face security concerns and stated that "Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians."To address those concerns, Carney announced the creation of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, which will be chaired by Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller.The council's first mandate will be addressing antisemitism.According to Carney, the body will examine the causes and drivers of antisemitism in Canada, coordinate a government-wide response, improve data collection on hate incidents and evaluate the effectiveness of federal anti-hate programs."The council has a clear mission to combat racism and hate in all their forms," Carney said.Carney also announced that Sen. Marc Gold would join the council and said the government intends to take a "whole-of-government approach" to combating antisemitism.He emphasized that the council would not be used to limit free expression."They are not curtailments of freedom of expression," Carney said. "They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere."The prime minister also highlighted federal measures already undertaken, including six public-safety bills, Bill C-9, additional anti-extremism funding and a previously announced $75 million security fund for synagogues, Jewish schools and other faith-based institutions.Carney framed the issue as one affecting all Canadians rather than only the Jewish community."If that covenant fails one of our communities, it fails us all," he said.Despite those assurances, discussion following the announcement remained focused on the composition of the new advisory body, particularly Alghabra's involvement, with critics arguing that the government's choice risks undermining confidence in the council before its work has even begun.
