Nearly 20 per cent of the Liberal caucus is calling for urgent action against antisemitism following the stabbing of a Jewish woman in her 70s at an Ottawa grocery store last week, an attack police are treating as a hate crime.
Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather released a letter signed by 31 Liberal MPs that described the rise in antisemitism as “deplorable” and warned it is “becoming normalized” in Canada. The letter points to incidents ranging from attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools to vandalism of Jewish-owned businesses and now assaults on individuals. “Three years ago, such an incident would have been shocking. Today, much less so,” the MPs wrote.
The suspect, 71-year-old Joseph Rooke, has been charged with aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon. The store where the attack occurred is known for its kosher food section, and Rooke had allegedly posted antisemitic remarks online in the past.
The MPs endorsed recommendations from a parliamentary justice committee report urging dedicated funding for policing and prosecuting hate crimes. They also expressed support for forthcoming Criminal Code changes to make it illegal to threaten or intimidate people outside schools, places of worship, and community centres.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman criticized the letter as weak, pointing out that only a fraction of Liberal MPs signed it. “After ten years of power, your plea to ‘the government’ is pathetic. You are the government,” she wrote on social media.
Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the attack as “senseless” and told Canada’s Jewish community, “You are not alone. We stand with you against hate and threats to your safety, and we will act to confront antisemitism wherever it appears.”
Statistics Canada reported 920 police-reported hate crimes against Jewish people last year, the highest of any religious group and part of a surge that has accelerated since the Gaza war broke out in 2023.
The MPs’ letter frames the current climate as a call to action for Canadians at every level—government, law enforcement, schools, workplaces and community institutions—as Parliament prepares to return on September 15.