Canadians go to the polls today to elect a new prime minister in a decision that will affect the country for years to come, and one demographic in particular.
After 18 long months of rising antisemitism post-October 7, Canada’s upcoming election represents a crossroads moment for the country’s Jewish community.
For nearly a decade, the Liberal Party has presided over Canadian life, first under former PM Justin Trudeau and more recently under Mark Carney. Yet as antisemitic incidents have surged to record highs, the government’s response has been, at best, tepid.
For Canadian Jews, this election is not just about economics or foreign policy. It is about physical safety, public dignity, and whether their country still stands firmly against hate.
The numbers alone tell a stark story. According to B’nai Brith Canada and other institutions, antisemitic incidents have exploded since October 7, 2023. Synagogues vandalized. Jewish students harassed on university campuses.
Pro-Hamas rallies marching openly through the streets of major cities, often accompanied by calls for violence against Jews. As The Jerusalem Post has consistently reported, 2023 and 2024 have been two of the worst years on record for antisemitism in Canada.
Throughout this period, the Liberal government has largely failed to meet the moment. Words of condemnation were occasionally issued, but meaningful action was lacking. Universities that permitted anti-Israel encampments to devolve into antisemitic hate fests faced little government pressure to intervene.
Jewish parents fearing for their children’s safety on campus were often left to fend for themselves. Even police responses to hate speech and harassment were inconsistent, with little indication that the federal government demanded better.
The Liberal Party’s historic self-presentation as champions of minority rights makes this dereliction particularly galling. But when it came to Jewish Canadians, Trudeau’s government defaulted to platitudes over policy.
As pro-Palestinian protesters glorified Hamas and vandalized Jewish institutions, government ministers issued abstract calls for tolerance rather than unequivocal denunciations. At times, the Liberals appeared more concerned with placating activist bases than standing up for Canada’s Jews.
Meanwhile, there has been a notable contrast in the approach taken by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. In recent months, Poilievre has spoken out forcefully against antisemitism, both within Canada and abroad.
He has not hesitated to call out Hamas terrorism by name, nor to denounce the thinly veiled antisemitism present in many “anti-Zionist” demonstrations. As the Post’s Michael Starr reported, Poilievre even visited the NOVA Exhibition to demonstrate solidarity with Israeli victims and their families.
Is this the kind of leadership that Canadian Jews would prefer? In a climate where so many political figures shrink from confronting antisemitism out of fear of alienating activist constituencies, Poilievre’s clarity may matter. It signals to Canadian Jews that their government will not equivocate when their safety is at stake. And their physical safety is at stake.
It is important to acknowledge that antisemitism is not a partisan issue and hate exists across the entire political spectrum. But what Canadian Jews have experienced in the last year and a half is not an abstract threat. It is immediate, palpable, and often deadly serious.
It demands more than generic statements about “combating all forms of hate.” It demands a government willing to prioritize Jewish safety and identity as a non-negotiable principle of national life.
Canada’s once-proud reputation as a refuge for minorities has been tarnished by its hesitations and half-measures. A change in leadership could signal that Canada is ready to reclaim its moral clarity.
Jewish Canadians are not looking for special treatment. They are asking for what every citizen deserves: security in their schools and synagogues, safety on their streets, and equal protection under the law. They are asking that when hatred flares against them, their leaders respond not with muted regret but with decisive action.
For Canadian Jews, this election is not just another political contest. It is a referendum on whether their country still takes their rights and their security seriously.
For too long, the Liberal government failed to rise to that challenge. Canadian Jews now have a chance to vote for a different future, one where antisemitism is confronted, not tiptoed around. It is an opportunity they can ill afford to miss.