Jewish group calls on Ontario government to address antisemitism in schools following federal report
The Canadian Jewish group is also asking the province to create a 'standardized hate reporting system' and to streamline the release of its Holocaust education curriculum. The latter was delayed after the Ford government appointed supervisors to oversee some of the largest school boards in the province in early July, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).
Article content
CIJA's public appeal comes just days after it sent a letter to Education Minister Paul Calandra and Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Graham McGregor on July 18 advocating the need for a 'joint strategy to address antisemitism within Ontario public schools.'
Article content
The letter, which was also authored by Landau and publicized on Wednesday morning, refers extensively to last week's Ontario public school antisemitism report. The report found 10 per cent of Jewish students had 'directly experienced' an antisemitic incident between the October 7 Hamas attacks and January 2025 and that over 40 per cent of encounters 'involved Nazi salutes, glorification of (Adolph) Hitler, or similar expressions of hate.'
Article content
Following the release of a federal report confirming widespread antisemitism within Ontario's schools, we wrote to the Government of Ontario, urging them to develop and implement a strategy to stop antisemitism in our classrooms. Jewish students are being harassed, excluded, and… pic.twitter.com/1mfGwtPUEK
— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) July 23, 2025
Article content
On Wednesday, Calandra told the Post in a written statement that he was 'deeply concerned, angry and frustrated with the findings of a recent report on antisemitism in Ontario schools' and he pledged to intervene if school leaders fail to uphold standards.
Article content
'Schools must be a safe place for every student to learn in a respectful and supportive environment. I expect school boards across the province to focus on student achievement and creating supportive classrooms, free of discrimination in any form, absent of divisive politics that leave students feeling unsafe, parents frustrated and angry, and teachers who simply want to teach but unable to do so,' the Conservative MPP said.
Article content
'If boards are unable to succeed in their main mandate ‚ student achievement — by delivering safe schools, then I will step in.'
Article content
The minister of citizenship and multiculturalism reiterated Calandra's statement and directed the Post to the Education Minister's statement published on X.
Article content
Deborah Lyons, Canada's special envoy on antisemitism, told National Post in a written statement last week that the report's findings demonstrated the 'need to seriously consider antisemitism education, not just Holocaust education.'
Article content
'Something has gone terribly wrong with our promises of 'Never Again' when over 40 per cent of the incidents in this study involved Nazi salutes, Holocaust denial, and overt verbal hate such as 'Hitler should have finished the job,'' said the former Canadian ambassador to Israel.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
9 minutes ago
- CTV News
Canadians prioritize national infrastructure projects over potential pushback: Nanos
A majority of Canadians support or somewhat support national infrastructure projects, even if there is opposition from provinces, Indigenous peoples or environmental concerns, according to new survey results from Nanos Research, conducted for CTV News. Seventy per cent of Canadians surveyed support or somewhat support national projects even in the face of potential Indigenous opposition, while more than half — 59 per cent — oppose or somewhat oppose Indigenous Nations having the power to block projects. 'This speaks to a situation where there is political licence, but that does not mean it is the best path forward,' Nik Nanos told CTV News. 'There is a whole new appetite to move forward that never really existed to this level because of Donald Trump.' 'I think what it shows is that there is a lack of understanding, writ large across the country, of the role Indigenous people play in the national economy,' said Mark Podlasly of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC). The FNMPC represents 180 First Nation members across Canada who want to participate in major projects in their territories — as long as their rights and environmental protections are in place, and they can participate meaningfully. Podlasly says he was not surprised by the survey results. 'People have seen Indigenous people as being roadblocks to projects… There has to be a shift in seeing Indigenous people not as a risk, but as an opportunity to de-risk projects, to ensure that investors will invest in Canada on those projects, and that we can get to market on time,' he told CTV News. The survey also found 60 per cent support or somewhat support developing Arctic land as an oil and gas route, even if there are environmental concerns. CTV News reached out to the Assembly of First Nations as well as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami for comment on the findings, but did not hear back by deadline. When it comes to regional opposition, the numbers are even higher. Seventy-seven per cent of those surveyed support or somewhat support national infrastructure projects, even if provinces oppose them. 'When you ask people, 'Do they support infrastructure?', most people are going to say yes,' said Moshe Lander, an economist at Concordia University. 'But then if you ask them, 'Are they going to support it if you have to pay higher taxes, or cutbacks in government services,' I am not sure how strong that support is. That is always the issue, right? How are you going to pay for it?' Lander says infrastructure across Canada is a complicated picture — economically, politically and financially — that has been neglected 'probably for decades,' and needs everything from billions of dollars to addressing a skilled worker shortage in order to fix. The findings come against the backdrop of a prime minister who has promised to 'build, baby build.' The Liberals were able to pass the Building Canada Act, or Bill C-5, amid criticism that it was too rushed. Mark Carney is aiming to get a Major Projects Office as well as an Indigenous Advisory Council up and running by Labour Day. He concluded three summits with Indigenous groups this summer, listening to concerns over Bill C-5. The Conservatives, meanwhile, are promising a motion called the Canada Sovereignty Act and are calling for shovels in the ground on a number of major infrastructure projects — including two pipelines — by March 14, the one-year anniversary of Carney taking office. Methodology: Nanos Research, RDD dual-frame hybrid telephone and online random survey, July 31 to Aug. 6, 2025, n=1034, accurate 3.1 percentage points plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
Mayoral candidate to move desk onto street for ‘Listening Tour'
Andrew Knack on Alberta Primetime on May 23, 2025. As Edmonton's mayoral race marches on, one candidate is choosing an unconventional way to show constituents he's listening. Current Coun. Andrew Knack is launching the official opening of his campaign office with a city-wide 'Edmonton, I'm Listening Tour,' which involves taking his full-sized work desk out on public streets. His first stop will be on Sunday outside his Gateway Boulevard office. Knack and a group of volunteers will be moving the desk to various locations across the city during the tour. A release on Saturday said the move is meant to help Knack in 'meeting people where they are and inviting them to share their priorities for Edmonton's future.' 'The campaign office – and Listening Tour locations – will be open to all Edmontonians who want to build a stronger Edmonton,' the release read. Knack is a longtime city councillor for Ward Nakota Isga who announced his bid to be Edmonton's next mayor in May. His official campaign launched in mid-June. Knack, who says he's running as an independent, is vying for the position alongside a growing number of candidates. The list of hopeful nominees includes current Ward pihêsiwin councillor Tim Cartmell, pediatric surgeon Omar Mohammad, engineer Abdul Malik Chukwudi and more. Edmonton's current mayor, Amarjeet Sohi, has said he won't be seeking re-election after losing as the federal Liberal party's candidate in the Edmonton Southeast riding. The election is Oct. 20. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brittany Ekelund and Alex Antoneshyn
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Conservative calls on minister to apologize to Christian singer over cancellations
Christian musician Sean Feucht of California sings to the crowd during a rally at the National Mall in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jose Luis Magana A Conservative MP is calling on Identity and Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault to apologize to U.S.-based Christian musician Sean Feucht after the permits for recent concerts in venues overseen by Parks Canada were revoked. Marilyn Gladu, the Opposition critic for civil liberties, says in a letter dated Friday that denying the permits did not 'preserve the principle of inclusion' but had the opposite effect in excluding Feucht and many Canadians who had planned to attend the events. Feucht describes himself as a musician, missionary, author and activist. Having spoken out against what he calls 'gender ideology,' abortion and the LGBTQ+ community, his religious and political views have faced criticism while having grabbed the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Feucht ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for Congress in 2020. Gladu says in her letter that regardless of whether you agree or not with Feucht's views, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of expression in Canada. A number of concerts planned in various parts of Canada were cancelled abruptly, with Feucht having to switch venues to hold them. The Canadian Press
