Once again, thank you, Madam Chair and committee, for your attention this morning.
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss a topic that in my opinion is one of the most important issues our country is facing.
I thank you for the opportunity to share a panel with respected colleagues. It is an honour to work closely with them to fight for a better Canada.
As everyone in this room knows, anti-Semitism should be a non-partisan issue that impacts us all, whether Jewish or non-Jewish Canadians. It is well known that anti-Semitism erodes democracy, and as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, has recently concluded, it is a clear threat to national and international security.
My mandate is to combat anti-Semitism and preserve Holocaust remembrance. It is both a domestic and an international mandate. It does not have a geopolitical focus.
Madam Chair, there is so much hard work in front of us to be done on a wide range of issues, but we are here today to focus on university campuses. It is there, at our centres of learning, our sources of new knowledge and civil discourse, that I felt the greatest concern as I travelled across Canada.
Campuses cannot be considered places of learning or bastions of free expression as long as any students and faculties are not safe. Today, Jewish students and faculties are experiencing targeting, intimidation and anti-Jewish hate. Jewish students, particularly those who self-identify as Zionists, as I do, are facing a tsunami of anti-Semitism.
Let me quote here the Prime Minister's recent remarks. He said, “In a country like Canada, it should be and it must be safe to declare oneself a Zionist. Jewish or not, Zionism is not a dirty word or something anyone should be targeted for agreeing with”.
I have heard from students, faculty and staff about serious issues as I travelled across Canada, ranging from the glorification of Hamas, a known terrorist group, and professors singling out Jewish students in classes and at protests, to Jewish students being harassed and physical threats. There were chants that all Zionists are racists or perverts, “go back to Europe” and “long live October 7”, as well as outside agitators setting up camp on university property and blocking freedom of movement and the ability to learn.
Hate speech and workplace harassment are not consistent with free expression or academic freedom. Worse still is hearing that, when these issues are brought to the attention of university administrations, responses are frequently delayed or non-existent. Codes of conduct at most of our universities exist but are not being implemented.
Capitulation to those engaging in hate-filled activities corrodes the very values on which institutions of higher education are built and where all students must be able to learn without fear.
Since October 16, my office has met with Jewish communities across Canada—with Hillels, with Jewish students, with faculty, university presidents and administrations, and with provincial ministers of advanced education, who have direct responsibilities for universities. We will continue to work with all partners over the coming summer months to ensure a healthy campus environment for the return in September.
Based on these meetings, let me close with a few recommendations. First, anti-Semitism training is badly needed. This training should be tailored to university administrations, legal counsels and, most particularly, heads of EDI or DEI offices, security personnel and student-life professionals. Clearly defining anti-Semitism and understanding its many manifestations are crucial in combatting it.
We must also assist and encourage—second recommendation—post-secondary institutions and their leadership to implement their own policies. What we have seen is a reluctance to implement their own codes of conduct even when they relate to safety issues. The tools exist, and post-secondary institutions have a duty to act.
In closing, Madam Chair, when our Jewish citizens are targeted, it threatens the democratic ideals of equality and justice for all Canadians. We pride ourselves on being a diverse and inclusive multicultural society. In this moment, we are being put to the test. It is not an overreach to say that our shared humanity is at stake.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.