Canada launches new faith advisory council to combat hate, antisemitism

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced the creation of a new faith advisory council aimed at addressing hate and strengthening protections against discrimination, hate and antisemitism during a keynote speech on June 1.

Speaking at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Carney unveiled the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, which will be chaired by former senator Marc Gold, Caliber.Az reports, citing Canadian media.

“Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney said, pointing to recent incidents of antisemitic violence across the country. “If that covenant fails for one of our communities, it fails us all.”

The announcement comes amid growing pressure on the government to take stronger action to safeguard Jewish communities in Canada.

Last week, Carney also raised concerns about antisemitism during a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, a conversation that was primarily focused on the treatment of Canadian citizens detained by Israel over their involvement in a Gaza-bound flotilla, according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Jewish advocacy organisation B'nai Brith Canada reported more than 6,800 antisemitic incidents in 2025, the highest level recorded since 1982, arguing that anti-Jewish hatred has become increasingly normalised in Canadian society.

Carney noted that these cases account for more than two-thirds of all religiously motivated hate crimes in Canada last year, despite Jewish Canadians making up roughly one per cent of the population.

He warned that antisemitism has risen to levels not seen since the post-war era, citing incidents such as shootings at Jewish schools, firebombings of synagogues, and attacks on community centres and Jewish-owned businesses.

“These attacks threaten Canada's pluralistic identity,” he said, adding that the government is committed to a comprehensive response to what he described as a “crisis of antisemitism.”

Alongside new legislation and increased funding to counter violent extremism, Carney said the council, led by Identity Minister Marc Miller and chaired by Gold, will address racism and hate “in all their forms.”

Gold, appointed to the Senate in 2016 and later serving as government leader in the upper chamber before retiring last year, was praised by Carney as “one of Canada's most collaborative, effective and principled voices on the scourge of antisemitism.”

The council’s mandate includes reviewing antisemitism in Canada, coordinating a whole-of-government response, improving data collection on hate crimes, and assessing the effectiveness of federal anti-hate initiatives.

Carney emphasised that these measures would not restrict free expression, stating: “They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere.”

The new body will replace two previously existing offices dealing with religious discrimination, which were abolished earlier this year and merged into a single advisory structure.

Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had earlier urged the prime minister to issue a formal apology to Canada’s Jewish community over rising violence and fear.

Concluding his remarks, Carney said Canada must learn from historical injustices and take immediate action to protect minority communities.

“Canada promises a country in which Jewish Canadians can be visibly, fully, joyfully Jewish in public life,” he added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov