CIJA

CIJA Welcomes Federal Budget Investments in Confronting Violent Extremism Ottawa, ON – November 5, 2026 – Following the tabling of the federal budget, which committed to expand Canada’s National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence and boost capabilities for CSIS, CBSA and the RCMP, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) issued this statement: “Today’s budget builds on last spring’s investments in protecting vulnerable community institutions by strengthening Canada's ability to confront extremists threatening our security and way of life. It also reflects Prime Minister Carney’s commitment, as noted in his statement marking the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7 terror attacks, to ‘stop extremism before it takes root.’ “The renewal and expansion of Canada's National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence is an important step in helping authorities and organizations identify and intervene before susceptible individuals, particularly youth, are drawn into extremist ideologies and violence. It is imperative that the strategy delivers measurable results, especially as radicalization to violence can now occur in weeks rather than months or years. “Confronting antisemitism must be central to this work as experts acknowledge anti-Jewish conspiracies is the ‘baseline of entry into extremism.’ From ISIS supporters and Iran's Islamic regime to neo-Nazis and the radical left, extremist movements are exploiting libels about Jews and Israelis – from COVID to Gaza – to fuel radicalization, incite violence and commit acts of terror against Canadians. “We also welcome the commitments to further expand the capabilities of CSIS, and the addition of new CBSA and RCMP officers. In September, the federal government explicitly recognized that antisemitism is a matter of national security. Addressing this threat must now be a priority in implementing Canada's new National Security Strategy, including strengthening intelligence and counterterrorism capabilities, border screening and the enforcement of inadmissibility and removal orders. “CIJA stands ready to work with the federal government to turn these investments into concrete action that protects communities and safeguards the security and fundamental freedoms of all Canadians.”

7,000 Canadians. One unforgettable Shabbat Shalom. An incredible moment as thousands came together in Montreal at Omer Adam’s concert, united in song and Jewish pride. The evening was made even more powerful when former hostage Bar Kupershtein joined Omer on stage. His presence was a moving reminder of the strength and resilience of the Jewish people, our deep connection to Israel, and our determination to stand together through even the darkest moments. Shabbat Shalom! 💙 *** 7 000 Canadiens et Québécois.Un Shabbat Shalom inoubliable. Un moment incroyable alors que des milliers de personnes se sont rassemblées à Montréal pour le concert d’Omer Adam, unies par la musique et leur fierté d’être juives. La soirée a été encore plus émouvante lorsque Bar Kupershtein, ancien otage, a rejoint Omer sur scène. Sa présence a été un rappel poignant de la force et de la résilience du peuple juif, de notre lien profond avec Israël et de notre détermination à rester unis, même dans les moments les plus sombres. Shabbat Shalom ! 💙 *** 7,000 קנדים. ערב אחד בלתי נשכח לקראת כניסת השבת. הייתה חווייה מרתקת במיוחד אתמול כשאלפים התאספו במונטריאול לכבוד הופעתו של עומר אדם, מאוחדים בשירה וגאווה. הערב הפך לעוד יותר עוצמתי כששורד השבי בר קופרשטיין הצטרף על הבמה. נוכחותו הייתה תזכורת מרגשת לחוסן ולעוצמה של העם ישראל, לקשר העמוק שלנו עם מדינת ישראל ולנחישות שלנו לעמוד יחד כתף אל כתף אפילו ברגעים הקשים ביותר. שבת שלום! 💙

All Canadians should be concerned by the @USTreasury’s announcement that its Office of Foreign Assets Control has had to sanction eight Canadian businesses for enabling Iran’s Islamic regime. CIJA has long called on the Canadian government to ensure that Canada is not used as a safe haven for the IRGC, its operatives or other elements of the regime. This is about far more than illicit financial activity. It is about individuals and networks operating in Canada to support a despotic regime that murders tens of thousands of its own people, exports terrorism around the world, launches missiles and drones at its neighbours, and arms Russia with weapons used in its horrific war against Ukrainians. As the Canadian government advances its new National Security Strategy, with an emphasis on strategic autonomy, it must take decisive action against Iran, its proxies and their networks operating in Canada. Canada cannot be a safe haven for those who facilitate sanctions evasion, finance the Iranian regime or enable its global terror operations. home.treasury.gov/news/press…

As an organization committed to a more secure and peaceful future for Israelis and their neighbours, we welcome the launch of the Canada-Lebanon Partnership for Security and Resilience, particularly the mention that "arms must remain under the exclusive authority of the Lebanese state." But a clear-eyed approach to the region demands an equally clear understanding of the threats. It is striking that Hezbollah is not specifically named in the announcement. Hezbollah is an Iranian regime terrorist proxy and a threat to the world. Its reach extends into Canada, as underscored by recent U.S. sanctions against Canadian companies linked to the terror group. For years, Lebanon's inability to secure its southern border has allowed Hezbollah to attack Israeli civilians. No democracy would accept this reality for its citizens. Israel should not have to either. A more secure and peaceful region also requires the Canadian government to engage with all relevant parties, including Israel. Israel's recent election and Canada's new National Security Strategy, which prioritizes strategic partnerships, offer an opportunity for the government to re-engage with a longstanding ally, free trade partner and fellow democracy.

“I’m just one person from a small Jewish community in Belleville. But this week my voice was heard on Parliament Hill.” Hear directly from Belleville Synagogue Attack Survivor Douglas Lobel who has an inspiring message to Canadians: each individual has the power to make a difference.

At 98 years old, Holocaust survivor Nate Leipciger is warning Canadians about the increasingly violent antisemitism threatening Jewish communities across the country. Nate was just 15 when he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. After surviving Nazi concentration camps he arrived in Canada in 1948, dedicating his life to educating future generations of the importance of standing up to hate. Speaking to the @nationalpost during Holocaust Education Month, Nate reflected on the Canada he has known for nearly eight decades, contrasting the discrimination of the past with today's attacks on synagogues and Jewish homes. But Nate reminds us that as Canadians, we are not powerless; that we can use our democratic institutions to confront hatred, and that the solidarity of our neighbours is essential to protecting the freedoms we share.

“Anyone who uses criticism of Israel as a vehicle to deny the Jewish community in Israel, or the State of Israel itself, the right to exist, or who calls for violence, has crossed the line into hatred of Jews.” Earlier this week in Frankfurt, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined Jewish leaders, including our J7 counterpart @ZentralratJuden , to inaugurate Germany’s first supraregional, non-university Jewish educational institution since the Holocaust. In his remarks, President Steinmeier delivered a powerful message: criticism of Israel must never become a pretext for antisemitism, incitement or violence. He was equally unequivocal in labelling antisemitism, no matter if it comes from the far left and right or Islamists, a threat to liberal democracies. His leadership sets an important example for heads of state and political leaders around the world, including here in Canada. Antisemitism must be called out clearly and consistently in all its forms, including when it is expressed through antizionism. Watch the full speech: youtube.com/watch?v=-HFsANJw…

In a deeply personal op-ed in the @nationalpost, Sharlene Weitzman recounts the terror of surviving the shooting attack at Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Synagogue and reflects on what must happen to ensure Canada is a country where everyone can live openly, freely and safely, without fear of expressing who they are. She ends on a powerful note: restoring a sense of belonging cannot rest solely on the shoulders of those who have been made to feel they no longer belong. It is a responsibility all Canadians share. Read the full op-ed here: nationalpost.com/opinion/sha…

Today, the federal government will table its 2026 budget, an important opportunity to keep Canadians safe through protection and prevention. As reported by The Globe and Mail, survivors of the Yom Kippur Synagogue shooting attack in Belleville warned that antisemitism and conspiracies continue to circulate in their community, even after the attack that nearly became a mass-casualty tragedy. “It is imperative that we address not only the immediate threats to our collective safety but also the extremist ideologies and radicalization that lead to such violence.” — Shima Vigoda CIJA is calling on the government to use today's budget to deliver on the Prime Minister's commitment in his statement marking the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas-led terror attacks: " to strengthen public safety and combat hate, with new laws and resources to stop extremism before it takes root.” Read the full report in the @globeandmail here: theglobeandmail.com/politics…

"The measure of solidarity isn’t what people say after an attack. It’s what they are prepared to do before the next one happens." Following her impact statement this Monday during the sentencing hearing regarding the shots fired at the Yeshiva Gedola school—and in the wake of an incident late Thursday night at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, where several windows were damaged by what appear to be pellet-gun shots—our Senior Vice President, @ecijaq, has published the following appeal on her blog for @TimesofIsrael. Read it here: blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-…

Ahead of tomorrow’s federal budget, a courageous delegation of survivors from the attack on Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Synagogue came to Parliament Hill to meet with parliamentarians from across party lines. Their message was clear: the government must focus on protection and prevention. Ensuring Jewish institutions have the security resources they need, regardless of size or location, while confronting radicalization before it leads to violence. Tomorrow’s budget is an opportunity to advance both priorities. We commend the delegation for speaking so strongly on behalf of Jewish Canadians across the country. And we appreciate the parliamentarians for hearing firsthand about the challenges facing Jewish communities.

At a time when Canadian security experts warn that the exploitation of criticism of Israel by people who don’t know what they’re talking about can fuel radicalization and even acts of terror, it is critical that publicly funded national institutions uphold the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and governance. This week’s ruling by the CBC Ombudsman, as reported by @mindingottawa, sends a clear message: CBC journalists and producers must be held accountable when they violate their own journalistic standards. The case also underscores a broader challenge facing Canadians. Whether it is the @CMHR_News controversial Nakba exhibit, which the Heritage Minister @MarcMillerVM rebuked for failures of curation and governance, or the CBC’s repeated breaches of journalistic standards in its coverage of Israel, publicly funded institutions must not become vehicles for bias or misinformation. The federal government has a responsibility to ensure these institutions are accountable to the standards that Canadians expect them to uphold. Read more here: blacklocks.ca/fault-cbc-for-…

This week, as reported by @DanTaekema of @CBCOttawa, survivors of the Yom Kippur shooting at Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Synagogue delivered a clear message to Members of Parliament: Canada must prioritize both protection and prevention. The government has taken important steps to strengthen protection, including improving hate crime legislation and investing in community security. We welcome the previously announced expansion of the Canada Community Security Program and are working with the government to make the program more accessible, ensuring Jewish institutions can better protect their communities regardless of their size or financial means. But protection alone is not enough. As the Prime Minister has recognized, we must also prevent extremism from taking root and escalating into violence. The upcoming federal budget is an opportunity to put those commitments into action. Read more here: cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7…

Following the release of Canada’s new National Security Strategy, and ahead of Thursday’s federal budget, survivors of the attack on Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Synagogue are urging the government to act on both protection and prevention. That means confronting radicalization to violence. As experts, including David O’Brien of @YorktownFamily Services, have described, extremists ranging from white supremacists to Islamists may have little in common, but share a hatred of Jews. That’s why Belleville survivors have joined CIJA, thousands across our community, and allies in calling on the federal government to renew and strengthen Canada’s National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence in Thursday’s budget and going forward to position antisemitism as a priority in the implementation of the government’s new strategy. Read more in the @TorontoStar via @markramzyy: thestar.com/politics/federal…

“'Allah has written that victory is near,' Ammara Amjad wrote, according to the RCMP, which found her messages on a phone seized during a search of her parents’ home north of Toronto." This week in a Brampton courtroom, Ammara Amjad became the first Canadian woman, living under ISIS as it committed untold atrocities, to face prosecution for participating in the activities of a terrorist group. As @StewGlobal reports, the case comes amid warnings from Canadian security officials that ISIS members returning to Canada following the group’s defeat in Syria could pose a threat, including by carrying out attacks or radicalizing others. Government and authorities at all levels must ensure that returning fighters from foreign terrorist organizations are brought to justice. Last week's national security framework presents an opening for the federal government to renew and reform the National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence and leverage the upcoming budget to substantially expand funding for the Community Resilience Fund. Read more: globalnews.ca/news/12122972/…

"These are my neighbours and my friends. It shakes you to the core.” For Member of Parliament Chris Malette, the Yom Kippur attack on Sons of Jacob Synagogue was deeply personal. He lives just two blocks from the synagogue, in a community he has called home for 47 years. Speaking alongside survivors on Parliament Hill, he reflected on the shocking speed at which antisemitic hatred has spread and the reality of seeing violence reach his own neighbourhood. His warning to Canadians was clear: “If it can happen in Belleville, it can happen anywhere in Canada.” Watch his remarks at the press conference here: cpac.ca/headline-politics/ep…

Jewish communities -- both large and small -- are confronting threats to their personal safety and place within civic life that recall some of the darkest chapters of our country's history. Shima Vigodda, a survivor of the Yom Kippur shooting attack at Belleville’s Sons of Jacob Congregation, brought this warning to Parliament Hill, reflecting on the discrimination faced by generations of Jewish Canadians. “What hangs in the balance is not just the future of Jewish communities across the country, but the very soul of Canada itself.” With Thursday’s federal budget approaching, survivors are urging the government to turn its national security commitments into action by renewing Canada’s counter-radicalization strategy, prioritizing antisemitism in the new National Security Strategy, and reforming the Canada Community Security Program to better protect smaller Jewish communities. Watch Shima’s powerful testimony from Parliament Hill: cpac.ca/headline-politics/ep…