1 week Ago By Special to National Post
By Karine Toledano and Aline Levi After nearly a decade of Liberal government, we are watching history repeat itself. Synagogues are being burned, schools shot at, businesses attacked, and hatred paraded openly through our streets. These are not isolated incidents — they are warnings.
And ignoring them now would be a deadly mistake. This election is not just political. For Jewish Canadians, it is existential.
Our future in this country hinges on choosing leadership willing to act decisively against rising hate. Across Canada, Jews and our institutions have become primary targets. According to Statistics Canada, antisemitic hate crimes have risen over 400 per cent under Liberal leadership.
Though Jews represent less than one per cent of the population, we were the target of 70 per cent of all religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023. Yet as antisemitic violence overflowed across Montreal — cars torched, windows smashed, synagogues and Jewish schools under siege — the country’s leader was literally dancing the night away at a Taylor Swift concert, tone-deaf to what was happening. The federal response to such violence has been shameful.
Liberal ministers routinely fail to call out antisemitism directly or unequivocally. Their silence and ambiguity send a message: Jew-hatred is tolerated in Canada. Some hope that things will improve under Mark Carney.
The facts say otherwise. His first statements as Liberal leader included an attack on Israel . One of his first actions as prime minister was pledging another $100 million in taxpayer-funded aid to Palestinian organizations — despite widespread evidence that such aid ends up in the hands of Hamas.
When a heckler yelled “There’s a genocide happening in Palestine!” Carney responded , “I’m aware. That’s why we have an arms embargo.” He later claimed he hadn’t heard the word “genocide.
” Carney promoted Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly despite her disturbing record. Under her watch, Canada abandoned its democratic ally, Israel, after the October 7 attacks — blocking exports, equating Israel with Hamas, and breaking Canada’s long-standing bipartisan support at the UN. In October 2023, Joly falsely blamed Israel for bombing a hospital — a claim disproven within days.
She still hasn’t deleted the post. In conversation with former NDP leader Tom Mulcair, Joly justified Canada’s foreign policy shift by saying, “Have you seen the demographics of my riding?” That kind of electoral calculus is dangerous. When leaders pander instead of lead, anti-Israel rhetoric quickly turns into real-world violence.
Meanwhile, the Liberals have empowered organizations that promote division. Since 2016, the Liberals have funneled over $200 million into UNRWA, despite credible evidence linking the agency to Hamas — including staff who participated in the October 7 massacre. In 2024, they backed a motion in Parliament to explore the recognition of a Palestinian state, while Israeli civilians were being held captive in terror tunnels in Gaza.
In 2022, Liberal MP Ahmed Hussen, then minister of diversity and inclusion, approved over $100,000 of taxpayer funds for “anti-racism training” by Laith Marouf — a man who openly supported ex-Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, also known as “The Butcher of Damascus,” and who has worked with Kremlin propaganda outlets. Marouf is notorious for making virulently hateful statements against Jews and Black communities. Little known to most Canadians, Carney and Joly also pledged $84 million in taxpayer funds to Syria — into the hands of Abu al-Julani, a former al-Qaida commander, who, until recently, was on the U.
S. terrorist wanted list. He may wear a suit now, but his recent massacres of Alawites and Christians show his ideology hasn’t changed.
Yet this is where the Liberals are prioritizing sending our tax dollars — while hospitals here collapse and Canadians cannot afford housing. Just a few months ago, the Liberals nearly appointed Birju Dattani — who had allegedly compared Israel to Nazi Germany and openly supported the Israel BDS movement — as Canada’s top human rights official, reversing the decision only after public outcry. This is not a one-off failure.
It’s a pattern. A worldview. Under the Liberals, Canada has lost its soul.
The promise of a country grounded in freedom, fairness and mutual respect has given way to rising hate, crumbling institutions and a government that no longer defends its own citizens. The result is a nation adrift. Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative party offer a clear and necessary alternative: a return to the Canadian values that once defined this country — freedom of religion, public safety, real pluralism, and unity rooted in shared responsibility.
They understand that diversity cannot survive without security, and that multiculturalism collapses when it tolerates hate. The Liberals have made Canada unrecognizable. The Conservatives are the only party prepared to make it home again.
Because, in the end, this is not just about the Jews. Antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine of civilization. A society that embraces antisemitism collapses under the weight of its own hatred.
Special to National Post Karine Toledano is an Adjunct Professor of Anesthesiology at the Université de Montreal and McGill University. Aline Levi is a family physician in Montreal. Nadav Steinman: For Jewish Canadians, this election presents a stark choiceFIRST READING: More than 300 candidates sign on to campaign pushed by radical anti-Israel group.
