Canada’s Prime Minister drew criticism for not promptly condemning the assault on a Jewish man who was walking with his children in a Montreal suburb last Friday.
While the man was in a park with his three children, an unknown person approached and sprayed them with water. The assailant then physically attacked the father, knocking him to the ground and throwing away his kippah, a traditional skullcap worn by observant Jewish men.
On Monday, police in Montreal announced the arrest of a 27-year-old suspect in connection with the assault, an event that has intensified calls for the Canadian government to take stronger action against widespread antisemitism.
“Canada had the chance to change course after the disaster of [former Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s tenure, but instead chose to continue marching toward the abyss. It is beyond doubt that a violent incident like the one we witnessed in Montreal draws direct inspiration from the tailwind Canada’s government, de facto, gives to Hamas,” Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism told Digital.
“Canada is not yet at the stage of Belgium or the U.K.—both of which have become extremely dangerous for Jews—but it is headed there, slowly and inexorably,” he added.
Carney commented on the incident at 11 p.m. Saturday — approximately a day and a half later — after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar publicly criticized Ottawa’s response.
“The attack on a Jewish father in Montreal late yesterday, in front of his own children, is an appalling act of violence. Everyone in Canada has an inalienable right to live in safety,” Carney posted on X.
Sa’ar had challenged him, writing, “The incident shown in this video is shocking and stomach-turning. … These are images reminiscent of dark periods of Jewish persecution. This is appalling.
“The Canadian government must do more to fight antisemitism!” he added.
Although Jews constitute less than 1% of Canada’s population, antisemitism was linked to 18.8% of all reported hate crimes in 2024. Of the 1,342 incidents categorized as religiously motivated, 920, or 68.5%, were directed at .
Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, noted that just a week earlier, a synagogue in Victoria, British Columbia, had been defaced with antisemitic threats, highlighting that animosity towards Jews has become a nationwide issue.
“As the situation continues to worsen, Jewish Canadians do not need to be placated with mere lip service. We need our leaders to take clear and unequivocal positions and work vigorously to facilitate change. Anything less only serves to further embolden and enable the vitriolic cohort of our society that continues to attack our community,” Robertson told Digital.
“What happened in Montreal on Friday afternoon was absolutely horrific. It must serve as a wake-up call for the entire city. This is what happens when civic leaders permit an atmosphere where hateful thugs feel as if they can act with impunity,” he said.
The attack occurred amid a broader climate of intense antisemitism, which recently led Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, to resign in July — three months before her term ended — citing physical and emotional exhaustion.
It also took place against a backdrop of strained Canada-Israel relations. Canada is one of four countries, alongside France, Australia and the United Kingdom, that have announced their intention .
Canada’s former ambassador to Israel, Vivian Bercovici, told Digital that it’s difficult to discuss the past two years of rising antisemitism in Canada without looking back to October 2015, when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was first elected prime minister.
“In my view, was very unsophisticated. He had a very quickly growing Muslim population in Canada, and he was careful not to do anything to alienate those voters,” Bercovici said.
According to Statistics Canada, the share of the population identifying as Muslim more than doubled over 20 years, increasing from 2.0% (579,640 people) in 2001 to 4.9% (1,775,715 people) in 2021.
“What we’ve seen, as in many other parts of the West, is that they have come and demanded that we change to accommodate them — that we change the way we do things. Some of their most consistent demands concern Israel and Jewish communities, which have increasingly become targets,” Bercovici said.