Newly released documents from the Deschênes Commission show Canada’s reluctance to prosecute Nazi war criminals
The release of formerly classified documents from the 1986 Deschênes Commission—which investigated how Nazi war criminals entered Canada after the Second World War—reveals greater details about why the government was reluctant to prosecute them once they were in the country, says David Matas, the lawyer who represented B’nai Brith Canada at the inquiry. Canada released […]
Jewish groups like Ve’ahavta have been helping African asylum seekers stranded in Toronto
In the cozy confines of a small church auditorium, white sheets divide the space into makeshift dorms for men and the women with cots set up on either side. Tables and chairs are crowded together, while a space to serve meals has been set up against the side wall. For the last four weeks, this […]
B’nai Brith’s Michael Mostyn explains why Canada’s broken immigration system needs a plan beyond relying on the charitable sector
Last month, the federal government announced that it will provide Toronto with $97-million to manage the city’s ongoing refugee crisis. Although more funding is sorely needed as the region is struggling to cope with an influx of migrants, fixing Canada’s broken immigration system will take more than one big cheque—it needs to start with having […]
B’nai Brith Canada has launched a defamation lawsuit against this anti-Zionist rabbi
B’nai Brith Canada is suing a Hamilton, Ont. rabbi for “false, defamatory and damaging” statements he made about the organization. In a lawsuit filed in June in Ontario Small Claims Court, B’nai Brith is seeking $35,000 in damages from Rabbi David Mivasair, a long-time anti-Zionist activist in Canada. In its claim, the Jewish human rights […]
Postal workers union settles libel case with B’nai Brith after five years
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and B’nai Brith Canada have come to a settlement on a libel action filed by CUPW against B’nai Brith. In 2018, CUPW sued B’nai Brith for suggesting that the union supported Palestinian terrorism in two newsletters and related Facebook posts. Per the settlement, B’nai Brith will take down […]
B’nai Brith Canada’s annual audit finds that antisemitic incidents remained near record high levels in 2022 due to increasing reports of online hate
The number of antisemitic events recorded in Canada in 2022 dropped by an “almost insignificant” one percent from the previous year—but the situation is still disturbing, representatives of B’nai Brith Canada said at the release of the organization’s Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents on April 17. B’nai Brith documented 2,769 incidents, compared with 2,799 in […]
B’nai Brith conducted a cross-country checkup where Canadian politicians promised to do more to fight antisemitism
The justice ministers of the two Prairie provinces that this fall adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism say the next step is implementation of its objectives in a practical way. Tyler Shandro of Alberta, whose United Conservative Party government endorsed the definition in September, told a virtual B’nai Brith Canada […]
Jewish groups call on Quebec’s political parties to address antisemitism and discrimination during the 2022 provincial election campaign
The next government of Quebec should take more concrete action to address the rise in antisemitic incidents in the province, says the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). That’s the overriding concern expressed by CIJA to the political parties vying for power in the Oct. 3 election in a newly published document. Topping the […]
According to B’nai Brith’s audit, antisemitic incidents increased in Canada for the sixth straight year
Antisemitic incidents increased in 2021 for the sixth consecutive year—with a sharp jump in May 2021, during the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza—according to B’nai Brith of Canada’s League for Human Rights’ annual audit, released in Ottawa on April 25. There were were 2,799 incidents reported across Canada in 2021, an increase of 7 percent from […]
Multicultural coalition meets to combat hate—but Liberal MNA David Birnbaum warns them to tread carefully when it comes to Quebec’s Bill 21
Liberal MNA David Birnbaum warned those outside Quebec to temper their criticism of the province’s secularism law, saying that Quebec has “no lessons to learn from other Canadians on racism and antisemitism” during a national forum on combating hate organized by B’nai Brith Canada. Bill 21, in force since 2019, prohibits public servants deemed to […]
