Mr. Speaker, yesterday was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and yet in Canada we continue to be confronted by a rising tide of anti-Semitism.
Last Tuesday the League for Human Rights released its annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada. The data is disturbing, confirming a longstanding trend of escalation.
There was a 46.7% rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents to 857 last year. The League states that only 10% of all cases are reported, turning this alarming figure into a potentially frightening 8,570.
In my home city of Winnipeg, the number of anti-Semitic events tripled to 54 incidents. Vandalism cases increased sevenfold and five instances involved synagogues.
It is important for the general Canadian society to stand alongside their Jewish-Canadian neighbours in a united front against bigotry. We cannot turn a blind eye to this blight.