TORONTO, Canada - On Thursday, Bill 168: An Act to Combat Antisemitism received the unanimous support of the Ontario Legislature at second reading.
The Bill requires the Government of Ontario to be guided by the working definition of antisemitism and accompanying list of illustrative examples, as adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
In response, Noah Shack, Vice President, GTA, issued the following:
“Today, the Ontario Legislature has unanimously sent a clear message to hate mongers in our province: antisemitism has no home here.
“The passing of Bill 168 at second reading comes at a crucial time for Jewish Ontarians. Our community continues to be disproportionately targeted with hate by a broad spectrum of individuals and groups.
“We commend legislators from across party lines for standing shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community in confronting the threat of hate, and applaud MPPs Will Bouma and Robin Martin for their leadership in moving this important initiative forward.”
Additional Background
- Hate-Crime Analysis by Statistics Canada Highlights Urgent Need to Combat Antisemitism
- The IHRA definition now constitutes the world’s most widely accepted definition of antisemitism, having been endorsed or adopted by dozens of countries and bodies – including the UK, US, EU, France, Germany, and Greece.
- CIJA Policy Brief: Defining Antisemitism and the IHRA definition
- In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) plenary – of which Canada is a member – adopted a working definition of antisemitism and list of illustrative examples.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is the advocacy agent of the Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA
