September 11, 2025
ST. JOHN’S – The next Government of Newfoundland and Labrador must combat rising antisemitism, B’nai Brith Canada is warning, as the province approaches elections in the fall.
“Antisemitism has surged across the country, but in Atlantic Canada, where there is a small Jewish population, this alarming trend has been particularly pronounced,” said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy.
In 2024, we documented 24 antisemitic incidents in Newfoundland and Labrador. This is striking considering that only 240 individuals in the province identified as Jewish during the last census.
The major parties vying for power include the governing Liberal Party of Nfld., the Progressive Conservative Party of Nfld., and the New Democratic Party of Nfld.
B’nai Brith Canada wrote to the leaders of each party to recommend they include in their respective platforms steps to combat antisemitism. We cited our organization’s own Seven Point Plan for Combating Antisemitism and encouraged candidates to support vulnerable infrastructure legislation, which is designed to safeguard houses of worship and cultural institutions.
In addition, we called on the next Government to implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which the province adopted in May, 2023. Among other things, B’nai Brith Canada suggested that it should be used to educate civil servants.