Canada is failing Jewish community and Jews are being targeted: PM Carney

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:03:00 +0000

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers remarks at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto on June 1, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

Canada is failing Jewish Canadians and the community is being brutally targeted by hate, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday (June 1, 2026). Mr. Carney said across Canada, antisemitism has surged to levels not seen in the post-World War II era. He noted that last year over two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes were directed at Jewish Canadians. Jews make up only 1% of the population.

“The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local. They start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Mr. Carney said at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto.

Mr. Carney said antisemites in Canada have fired bullets at Jewish schools and thrown firebombs at synagogues and attacked community centers. He said they have targeted Jewish-owned businesses and drove Jewish students from common spaces on university campuses.

Mr. Carney said antisemitism plagues Europe, Australia and the United States. But he said the crisis of antisemitism in Canada is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.” There has been a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents globally since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023.

Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said before the speech that the Canadian government must do more to strengthen community security and combat hate.

Mr. Carney said his government has introduced legislation over the last year to combat antisemitism and other forms of hatred. He said $75 million ($54 million) in funding will provide faith-based institutions with things like security infrastructure and additional security personnel. “It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this,” Mr. Carney said.

The Prime Minister announced the launch of a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion that will examine the nature, scale and drivers of antisemitism. It will measure its impacts and investments in education, prevention and community safety will follow, his office said.

“I want to be clear about what these potential measures are, and what they are not. They are not curtailments of freedom of expression. They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere,” Mr. Carney said. “They are the basic standards we owe one another, in our shared public institutions, to ensure that no Canadian community is driven from those institutions by hatred.”

Published – June 02, 2026 02:33 pm IST

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Indian-origin couple, daughter killed in ‘suspicious’ fire in Canada

admin — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 06:12:49 +0000

An Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter were killed in a “suspicious” fire which destroyed their home last week in Canada’s Ontario province, according to police.

A fire engulfed a home at the Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive area of Brampton on March 7, a press release by the Peel Police said on Friday.

After the blaze was put out, investigators located what was believed to be human remains within the gutted house, but the number of people killed couldn’t be ascertained at the time.

The charred remains were on Friday identified as those of three family members: 51-year-old Rajiv Warikoo; his wife, 47-year-old Shilpa Kotha; and their 16-year-old daughter, Mahek Warikoo.

Toronto police confirmed to CBC Toronto that Rajiv was a member of the force’s auxiliary programme, their volunteer officer programme. He ended his duties in 2016.

Rajiv’s LinkedIn profile said he worked with the Ontario Government – Ministry of Health.

Police said that they resided at the address before the fire.

Peel police Constable Taryn Young on Friday said the fire had been deemed suspicious, the CTV news channel reported.

“At this time, we are investigating this with our homicide bureau, and we are deeming this as suspicious as the Ontario Fire Marshal has deemed that this fire was not accidental,” Ms. Young said.

During a search of the property after the fire had been brought under control, investigators discovered what they believed to be human remains. Damage to the home was so extensive they couldn’t say at the time how many people may have been inside during the fire, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The deceased family’s neighbour, Kenneth Yousaf, said that the family had lived on the street for about 15 years, and he never noticed any problems with them.

Mr. Yousaf said he was alerted to the fire last week by a family member, who heard a big “bang.”

“When we came out, the house was on fire. So sad. Within a few hours, everything was down to the ground,” Mr. Yousaf said.

In a press release, police said they are continuing to investigate the deaths of the three family members and urged anyone with information to come forward.

“The circumstances surrounding the house fire remains the focus of an active investigation, and anyone with information or video footage (dashcam or otherwise) is urged to contact Homicide detectives,” police said.

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Canada is failing Jewish community and Jews are being targeted: PM Carney

Indian-origin couple, daughter killed in ‘suspicious’ fire in Canada