January 24, 2025
TORONTO – With antisemitic incidents continuing to escalate across Canada, B’nai Brith has urged the Government of Ontario to allocate proper funding in its 2025 budget for anti-hate programs in the province.
“Government and opposition parties alike must work together with stakeholders across Ontario to actively confront hate and injustice wherever they arise,” B’nai Brith wrote in a 4-page submission to the Ministry of Finance, which is holding public consultations as it drafts its provincial budget for 2025. “By adopting [the recommendations], Ontario can reaffirm its position nationally as a leader in the fight against racism and hatred.”
One of the recommendations calls on Ontario to prevent grants, such as those awarded to fund research, from going to projects that contradict the province’s anti-racism strategy. This framework includes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which has already been adopted at the provincial and federal level. Last November, B’nai Brith urged the Federal Government to take a similar approach to ensure federal grant programs are aligned with the national anti-racism strategy.
As antisemitism has spiked on both Ontario’s secondary and post-secondary campuses, B’nai Brith is recommending funding for programs to promote IHRA literacy among students at all levels. Likewise, the submission included a recommendation for Ontario to invest in mandatory IHRA-based antisemitism training for all provincial public servants.
“How can we expect Ontarians to use the IHRA definition of antisemitism if the average Ontarian is unaware of its scope and capacity to serve as a guide to help stop the spread of hate?” asked Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy, who presented our recommendations to the Ministry of Finance during its Friday pre-budget consultation hearings. “As Ontario heads into its next provincial election, our recommendations offer a roadmap for candidates to combat the scourge of antisemitism.”
