The latest eruption of violence in the Middle East has ignited debate across university campuses and protests around the world, sharpening religious, political, ideological and generational divides and igniting a wave of hate crimes both antisemitic and Islamophobic. Former Privy Council Clerk Kevin Lynch and former White House aide Paul Deegan underscore the opportunity for moral leadership.

By Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan

Ecclesiastes teaches us there is “A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace”. Since the horrifying, barbaric attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on Israel on October 7th, we have seen far too much hate and war, and far too much silence on the part of Canadian leaders when it comes to antisemitism.

In response to a record 857 reported incidents of antisemitism in Canada in 2004, then-Bank of Montreal President and CEO Tony Comper and his late wife, Elizabeth, did something unique; they formed a coalition made up exclusively of non-Jewish business leaders to combat antisemitism. At the time, Comper told the Empire Club, “This is a crisis that must be resolved by non-Jews…non-Jews must join the battle against what has been described sadly, but accurately, as the oldest and longest of hatreds.”

Sadly, between the explosion of social media and a lack of online content moderation, the trend has gotten much worse. In each of the past five years, there have been more than two thousand antisemitic incidents in Canada, with online harassment representing about 75 percent of that. And, since the October 7^thHamas massacre of innocent Israeli citizens and Israeli’s response in attacking Hamas strongholds in Gaza, there has been a dramatic increase in the number and nature of antisemitic incidents across Canada.

Who is speaking out today? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, official opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, and former prime minister Brian Mulroney have recently spoken eloquently about the need to combat antisemitism. But where are the provincial premiers, the mayors, the business leaders, the university presidents and the labour leaders?

Where is today’s generation of engaged CEOs? As former CIBC executive Mark McQueen has observed, “Corporate Canada needs to take antisemitism as seriously as it’s been taking many other difficult issues over the last decade.”

Where is the leadership of our universities, on whose campuses many of the antisemitic tirades have taken place? They need to step up and set the tone for what is and is not acceptable, both on campus and in public discourse anywhere in Canada.

Where are the voices of our big-city mayors, on whose streets demonstrations that include hateful anti-Jewish rants are increasingly frequent? They have been eloquent in recent years about the importance of social equity and inclusivity in their communities, both of which antisemitism surely undermines.

Where are the police and prosecutors? When free speech becomes hate speech, we need to apply the law to reinforce the boundaries and the difference.

The response to-date feels feeble, fumbling, and reactive – not resolute and proactive. Inaction and equivocation run the risk of normalizing unacceptable behaviours, which could lead to the deepening and expansion of antisemitism across Canada.

One’s political views about gut-wrenching conflicts elsewhere should not be translated into hateful personal views about our fellow Canadians, be they Jewish or Muslim.

Canadians are rightfully proud of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees freedom of religion, expression, assembly, security of the person, and equal protection under the law to all. The hateful attacks we are witnessing are an affront to the Charter and the values we hold dear, which is why Canadians have to come to terms with rooting out antisemitism – in all its ugly forms – here at home in Canada.

One of the best ways to combat antisemitism is through allyship. As Avi Mayer, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post has noted, “Many Jews, who have long prided themselves on standing with other groups and communities in their time of need, have been left wondering: Where are our allies?”

Closer to home, when an ugly mob of thugs vandalized an Indigo bookstore in Toronto because its CEO Heather Reisman is Jewish – a woman who is among the most generous philanthropists in Canada and a dedicated community builder who also lends her time and talent to numerous organizations, where were the allies?

Where do we go from here? Here are three ideas to combat antisemitism here at home.

First, the fight against antisemitism cannot be bureaucratized by governments, it has to be led by our political leaders at all levels. Why not start with a Resolution in the House of Commons denouncing antisemitism and calling on leaders across Canadian business and society to lend their voices?

Second, we need a broad-based coalition – allyship if you will – of Canadians to push back against antisemitism and religious-based hate. The Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, which was founded in 1947, used to be one avenue for such support. It was eventually folded into other organizations with broader mandates. We are missing a forum for dialogue, understanding, and to show allyship to a community that is in pain and feeling very much alone.

Third, why not make Holocaust education mandatory in every province and territory’s educational curriculum? The Choose Your Voice (for grades 6, 7, and 8) and Voices into Action (for grades 9 to 12 and also used by colleges, universities and adult education centres), developed by leading educational experts and funded by the Compers, are ready-to-go and available free of charge.

At the same time, Canada has an important role to play in the world and Canadians’ perspectives should help inform the government’s approach to Israel, Palestinians, and Hamas. We have been sharply critical about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial ‘reforms’, warning in the Jerusalem Post this past summer that his actions are ‘moral as well as political failures of leadership, threatening not only Israel’s democracy, economy, and social cohesion but its long-term security.’

But one’s political views about gut-wrenching conflicts elsewhere should not be translated into hateful personal views about our fellow Canadians, be they Jewish or Muslim.

Today’s brutal war will eventually end, at the cost of too many civilian lives on both sides. Ultimately, the conflict in the Middle East needs a political solution. Hamas is not the Palestinian people; it is a twisted terrorist organization, embedded in a population of innocent civilians, and it must go.

Over 100 years ago, the League of Nations, officially agreed to a national home for the Jewish people. The world needs to affirm Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself. At the same time, a two-state solution with a permanent freeze on new settlements in the West Bank and an overhauled and revitalized Palestinian Authority, with the capacity to gain the trust and confidence of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank and the leadership to purge its antisemitic teachings, must be pre-conditions to any possibility of lasting peace in the region. Canada has an opportunity to play a role, working alongside the Americans, the British and moderate Arab states, to bring stability, prosperity, and security to a part of the world where ‘a time for peace’ is millennia overdue and a new ‘Marshall Plan’ is desperately needed.

Prime Minister Trudeau has rightly observed that the rise of the hateful speech and threats against Jews and Muslims in our communities “is not who we are as Canadians.” Canadians should be able to debate and disagree without fear or hatred – indeed diversity and respect have been hallmarks of building Canada’s multicultural society. Pointing to both the challenges and the opportunity, Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters on November 8: “This is a moment where a country like Canada, which has been deeply proud of the fact that we get along here in diversity better than just about any other place in the world — this is a time where we need to lead.”

Hon. Kevin Lynch was Clerk of the Privy Council and vice chair of BMO Financial Group.

Paul Deegan was a public affairs executive at BMO and CN.