Housefather, 31 Liberal MPs lead call to action against rising antisemitism in Canada

A Liberal MP has issued a call to action amid growing antisemitism across Canada, highlighting the recent unprovoked attack on a Jewish woman shopping for groceries in Ottawa last week.

In a statement from Quebec’s Anthony Housefather (Mount Royal), co-signed by 31 of his Liberal colleagues, the four-term member of parliament said Jewish Canadians deserve the same right to feel safe as all Canadians.

“Regrettably, right now, there is a deep sense of unease, fear and unsafety among many Jewish Canadians across Canada,” he wrote in the statement posted to X.

Housefather, citing Statistics Canada data on police-reported hate crimes, said that while Jews make up only one per cent of Canada’s population, they are the victims of 70 per cent of reported religious-based acts of hate. In 2023, of the 1,284 hate crimes targeting a religion 900 were against Jewish people, which was a 71 per cent increase over 2022.

He said that while antisemitic attacks may once have been considered rare, “antisemitism is becoming normalized” in the wake of Hamas’s attack and Israel’s war against the terrorist organization in Gaza.

“In Canada, like other countries, actions to target Jewish communities and make them responsible for actions happening in the Middle East are wrong, unacceptable and antisemitic,” he stated.

Jewish Canadians-like all Canadians-have a fundamental right to feel safe in Canada & to live safely with their Jewish identity proudly known. Today I joined 31 other Liberal MPs to issue this call to action. pic.twitter.com/dbyEJYPHdI

— Anthony Housefather (@AHousefather) August 31, 2025

The festering hate has affected synagogues, schools, businesses, community organizations and, as of late, individuals.

The latest example came on Wednesday at a west-end Ottawa Loblaws, a store known for having the largest kosher selection in the city, where police say a woman in her 70s was allegedly stabbed in the torso by a man later identified as 71-year-old Joe Rooke of Cornwall, Ont.

Rooke, who has a history of making antisemitic comments, has been charged with aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon and police consider the incident to be a hate-motivated crime.

“Three years ago, such an incident would have been shocking. Today, much less so,” Housefather said.

The act was condemned by Jewish groups and political leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who pledged solidarity with Canada’s Jewish community.

“We stand with you against hate and threats to your safety, and we will act to confront antisemitism wherever it appears,” he posted to X two days after the incident.

The senseless attack on a Jewish woman in an Ottawa grocery store this week is deeply disturbing. My thoughts are with her, her family, and Ottawa’s Jewish community, and my support is with law enforcement as they work to swiftly bring the perpetrator to justice. To Canada’s…

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) August 29, 2025

Housefather added that he and his 31 peers support Carney’s proposed legislation to criminalize unlawful fear and intimidation outside places of worship, schools and community centres.

Among the co-signatories to his statement were several rookie MPs — including Evan Solomon (Toronto Centre), Bruce Fanjoy (Carleton) and Vince Gasparro (Eglinton—Lawrence) — and former Liberal leadership hopeful

Karina Gould (Burlington) and current House Speaker Greg Fergus (Hull—Aylmer).

All but six of the signatories were MPs from Ontario or Quebec, a fact underlined on X by Michael Geist , Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa

“How is it that the majority of Liberal MPs didn’t sign this letter? Why is fighting antisemitism seemingly determined by constituency demographics,” he asked.

Former Conservative Canadian Senator Linda Frum reshared his post, and said “the real story here is that 137 Liberals MP’s didn’t sign.”

Good point. The real story here is that 137 Liberal MPs didn't sign @AHousefather's letter denouncing antisemitism in Canada, specifically the hate-triggered stabbing of a 70 yo woman in Ottawa. How disturbing. https://t.co/GjjPpdADD5

— Linda Frum (@LindaFrum) August 31, 2025

According to the 2021 census, nearly half of Canada’s Jewish people live in the Toronto area, another quarter are in Montreal and small centres in Vancouver, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Calgary.

• Man, 71, accused of stabbing elderly Jewish woman in Ottawa has history of antisemitic comments
• 'Enough excuses': Canada-born Israeli minister urges action after hate-motivated attack in Ottawa

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