Amid nationwide demonstrations by supporters of Hamas, one federally-funded “anti-hate” organization has been apparently silent regarding antisemitic incidents and threats faced by Jewish communities.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network, an organization that has received substantial funding from the federal government, has not published any reports or public comments on the antisemitism faced by Canadian Jews during these protests.
Hamas’ attack on Israel last weekend triggered a series of rallies across Canada, with major anti-Israel demonstrations held in cities such as Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Montreal.
Tensions have often flared during these gatherings, leading to occasional clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators. The protests have also showcased controversial statements including calls for violence and escalation.
In one alarming incident in Edmonton, a rally speaker said Israel had “no civilians,” seemingly justifying the indiscriminate killing of Israeli citizens by Hamas.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network’s last article, titled “Infighting And Accusations Fly As Save The Children Convoy Kicks Off First Day Of Protests In Ottawa,” was released on October 5.
No subsequent articles have been published since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network’s account on X (formerly Twitter) has not posted anything since Oct. 6.
In June 2022, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network received a grant from the Liberal government worth $268,400 to allegedly monitor hate groups in Canada.
Additionally, the organization is seeking $5 million more, citing concerns that up to 15% of Canadians were allegedly far-right.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network did not respond to True North’s request for comment about whether it considers certain activities by pro-Hamas demonstrators to be hateful.
In Toronto, local police took action by apprehending three individuals following violent threats directed towards a Jewish high school in North York.
The threats were made at the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT) last week. Authorities were called to CHAT around noon after online reports circulated regarding potential threats and arrested the suspects soon after.
One of the Canadians killed during Hamas’ attacks on Israel died saving his fiancée, his family says.
Netta Epstein, who was born in Israel but also has Canadian citizenship, jumped on a grenade to protect fiancée Irene Shavit, Epstein’s mother said in an interview.
“I hear shouts in Arabic. There’s a lot of noise around. There’s shooting,” Ayelet Shachar-Epstein said, describing the final communication she had with her son in an interview with CTV News.
“The next thing he wrote was, ‘They’re here, Mom.’”
The attacks, which began on Oct. 7, have killed 1,400 Israelis and claimed nearly 200 hostages.
The Shachar-Epsteins are residents of Kfar Aza Kibbutz, a small farming town in southern Israel close to the Gaza border, where conflict is part of their daily life.
“We know the drill very well,” said Shachar-Epstein, whose parents were originally from Montreal but were raised in Israel.
Sachar-Epstein took refuge in a safe room with her father-in-law after finding her mother-in-law dead at the entrance of their home. While in hiding, she still didn’t know that Hamas militants had broken through the Gaza Strip blockades.
She was informed through texting with other family members who were hiding in other locations, including her son and Shavit.
Shavit sent a message that Hamas militants had “burst into their room and threw grenades into the apartment.”
The attackers opened fire and a third grenade was thrown close to Shavit and “Netta jumped onto the grenade, like he was trained (to do) in the army,” recounted Shachar-Epstein.
This decision killed him, but saved Shavit.
“He had a huge heart, my son,” said Shachar-Epstein. “He was beautiful on the outside but also the inside.”
In the CTV interview, she recalled watching coverage if the 9/11 attacks while pregnant with Epstein, and hoping “we won’t be facing anything like that when my child comes to the world.”
Shachar-Epstein said her son “brought so much happiness and hope to our lives. He was my firstborn child but also the first grandson in our family so double happiness.”
“He was the kindest, smartest person I’ve ever met,” said Jake Niefeld, a childhood friend of Epsteins. “He was able to go one second to being the silliest person in the world and having the biggest smile on his face to, five minutes later, being able to be there for people. He was amazing,”
Once he completed high school, Epstein volunteered working with special needs youth.
“He really found himself there. It wasn’t an easy task at all,” said Shacher-Epstein. “He needed to really collect himself and be very strong to do what he did there. He was there for them. He had fun with them. He played soccer with them. He would read them bedtime stories. They loved him dearly.”
Shachar-Epstein reflected on her sense of relief following Epstein’s completion of mandatory service with the Israeli Defense Forces.
“Once he got out of the army…we took a deep breath and said, ‘Thank God, now he’s with us. He’s back at home and he’s safe.’ That’s…I don’t know how to say it… God laughed in our faces, I guess,” she said.
Shachar-Epstein also discussed Epstein’s relationship with Shavit, his fiancée, whom he met 18 months earlier.
“Although they’re both very young, they became a very serious couple,” she said.
“They were talking about getting married, having children, building their home. In many situations, I would say, ‘Hang on, Netta. It’s just the beginning of your life, there’s so many things you’re going to experience. You don’t need to obligate yourself so quickly.’ But he kept on saying, ‘Mommy, I love her so much. This is the woman of my life.’”
Over 50 residents of the kibbutz were murdered during the attack and more bodies continue to be discovered and identified.
Shachar-Epstein said that her nephew, who lived near Epstein, has been missing since the attacks began.
Local officials estimate over 2,800 people have been killed on both sides of the Gaza border in the last nine days.
The Conservative party announced that they will demand that CBC News’ coverage of Hamas’ attack on Israel be reviewed at committee in the House of Commons.
The request comes as an internal email from the broadcaster instructed employees not to use the word ‘terrorist’ when reporting on the Israel-Hamas war.
Conservative MP for Lethbridge and Shadow Minister for Canadian Heritage Rachael Thomas posted on X that she plans to call for a review of the taxpayer funded broadcaster in response to their coverage of the Hamas attack on Israel which began on Oct. 7.
“CBC must answer for downplaying Hamas’ violence, including against Israeli babies, and spreading intentional disinformation. Canadians, especially the Jewish community, demand answers. On Tuesday, Conservatives will call for this matter to be studied at committee,” wrote Thomas.
CBC must answer for downplaying Hamas' violence, including against Israeli babies, and spreading intentional disinformation.
Canadians, especially the Jewish community, demand answers.
On Tuesday, Conservatives will call for this matter to be studied at committee. pic.twitter.com/i7cVrJszUb
An internal email from CBC’s director of journalistic standards and public trust, George Achi, instructed CBC journalists not to refer to anyone as “terrorists” when reporting on the conflict.
“The notion of terrorism remains heavily politicized and is part of the story,” said Achi. “Even when quoting/clipping a government or a source referring to fighters as ‘terrorists,’ we should add context to ensure the audience understands this is opinion, not fact. That includes statements from the Canadian government and Canadian politicians.”
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government since 2002.
True North reached out to CBC News for comment on Thomas’ post, calling for several members of the CBC to be brought forward for questioning from the committee.
CBC spokesperson Leon Mar responded by saying that critics have “misrepresented” their journalistic standards and practices.
“At this moment, a number of our journalists are on the ground in Israel and in Gaza. They are risking their safety in order to tell Canadians what is happening there. They are the very best at what they do, and the quality and accuracy of their journalism stands among the best in the world,” wrote Mar in an email.
“We are aware of the recent calls to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage indicating that some Members of Parliament believe they have a role in determining how journalists do their work. It is worth remembering that the independence of CBC/Radio-Canada’s journalism from the government and Parliament is protected in law, in the Broadcasting Act.”
Thomas wants to summon Achi for two hours of questioning before the committee, along with CBC President Catherine Tait and CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler.
Last year, Nagler ruled that he was “disappointed that [CBC] programmers” made allegations that Russia was behind the Freedom Convoy without any substantive evidence, while it was ongoing in February 2022.
The ombudsman reviewed CBC coverage of the Freedom Convoy in October 2022, following a complaint filed by a viewer against the CBC for comments made by news anchor Nil Koksal about “Russian actors” possibly involved in organizing the protest.
As of Monday, five Canadians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to Global Affairs Canada and three more remain missing.
On Sunday, the federal government issued a travel warning for Canadians living in Lebanon that they should consider leaving as the conflict continues to escalate.
“It has always been a possibility that missing persons would be confirmed deceased… It is an extremely tragic outcome,” said Julie Sunday, assistant deputy minister for consular security and emergency management with Global Affairs Canada. “Our thoughts are with the families in all of these cases.”
“We are very focused on addressing the cases of the three missing persons, who we continue to try to locate and bring back to safety in Canada.”
Currently, an estimated 6,800 Canadians are registered in Israel with over 450 in the West Bank of Gaza. There are 3,300 Canadians and permanent residents being assisted by Global Affairs Canada, according to CTV News.
The Hamas attack on Israel began on Saturday Oct. 7 and so far thousands of people have been killed or taken hostage by Hamas.
In the last 24 hours, Global Affairs Canada has received over 800 inquiries regarding Canadians still in Israel and around 4,200 inquiries since the attack first began.
A team of Canadian experts traveled to Tel Aviv to assist with hostage negotiations, however Global Affairs Canada has not yet confirmed if the three missing Canadians have been taken hostage.
“There’s a broad group of missing persons in Israel right now, and so there are many partners on the ground. I know our team has been — in addition to counterparts in Israel — has been in discussions also with the United States officials there who are working on these issues,” said Sunday.
“We are very much benefiting from the broader discussions, we are able to get information in real time, you know, face to face, which is really important to being able to take action and try to resolve these cases.”
Around 1,000 Canadians and their families have been relocated from Israel to Athens through an airlift operation conducted by the Canadian Armed Forces that offered two flights daily to those attempting to escape combat zones.
A ground offensive in Gaza is being prepared and is “pretty close” to being implemented, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who have ordered civilians to leave the area.
The federal government is making alternate plans for Canadians seeking assistance to leave, after Saturday’s plan to exit via Egypt was unsuccessful.
“Nobody got through that gate yesterday,” said Sunday. “The situation remains extremely fluid and insecure.”
Sunday said that they are currently trying to get assurances from Hamas, however electricity has been shut off in Gaza making communication more difficult.
“We have emphasized that people need to ensure their own safety and security when they’re traveling, that they need to be prepared… and that should an opportunity arise that being close to that border would be a benefit,” said Sunday.
“But again, individuals are having to make really difficult decisions… We are not telling people to go straight to that border until we have an understanding that there will be an opening.”
For Canadians stuck in the West Bank, the government is making plans to get them out via ground transportation through Jordan “in the coming days.”
“We are ready to start a land transportation option as early as tomorrow. But it’s complicated,” said Sunday.
Global Affairs Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Department of National Defence released a briefing which contained a warning to the 14,500 Canadian citizens and permanent residents who remain in Lebanon.
The country is becoming increasingly unstable, those still have been told to avoid all travel anywhere near the Israel border and to consider departing Lebanon altogether, if they don’t need to be there.
Sunday said that “government planning is actively taking place to prepare for all possible scenarios. This is simply not the time to go there… The situation is volatile, and if you don’t need to be there you should consider leaving, while commercial means are still available.”
A similar travel advisory has been given to Canadians living in Jordan, where large scale protests are expected to take place in the coming days.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh survived a leadership review on the weekend, though fewer NDP members voted for him than did in his last two reviews. More notably, NDP members adopted a resolution calling on the NDP to withdraw its support of the Liberal government unless the Liberals make good on their promise of a national pharmacare plan. True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in.
Also, the federal government withheld documents from the RCMP, preventing the RCMP from fully investigating the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Democracy Watch founder Duff Conacher joins the show to discuss.
Plus, what does the Supreme Court of Canada’s rebuke of the ‘no more pipelines’ law, Bill C-69, mean for the Canadian oil and gas sector? The Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s Kris Sims is back to break it down.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre are celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling on the ‘no more pipelines act,’ which ruled it was “largely unconstitutional.”
Plus, a sign board challenging the “mass grave hoax,” displayed outside of Councillor John Robertson’s home, has made him an outcast among his fellow Murray Harbour, P.E.I. councillors, including the mayor.
And Poilievre told reporters on Friday that the Trudeau government’s use of the Emergencies Act to quash the Freedom Convoy was Trudeau’s most “despicable act.”
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!
It is nothing short of heartbreaking and despicable at the same time.
In the past week, I’ve watched the Jew hatred in what is supposed to be a world class city and civilized country escalate as those in academia, politics and the labour movement deny the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas terrorists.
I’ve seen so-called progressive Israel haters – who scream and shout non-stop about LGBTQ rights – use the barbaric actions perpetrated last Saturday (including the burning and decapitating of babies) as a vile excuse to renew their cries about the plight of Palestinians.
Some of the more sadistic critics have had the audacity to say “apartheid” Israel had it coming for keeping Palestinians in an ‘open-air prison.’
They repeat the same lies, the same antisemitic tropes, the same narrative about war crimes and apartheid Israel in the occupied lands, conveniently ignoring that Israel pulled out of Gaza in September of 2005. Hamas has ruled Gaza and used the Palestinians as human shields since 2007.
Facts mean little to them. Reality means even less. Ignorance and indoctrination run rampant amongst the radical left.
Many of the gay activists also vehemently ignore the fact that the Palestinians, the Hamas terrorists and the Iranian government that supports their brutality are virulently homophobic.
It’s a bizarre disconnect.
I saw them spew their hate in May 2020 during the last conflict. This time, it didn’t take but days – hours even – for them to come out from under their rocks, even though the current round of atrocities rivals those of the Holocaust.
Some of the names are different, some aren’t – but their M.O. is sadly the same.
They care little about the Palestinians, in my view, for if they did they’d be spending their creative energy organizing resources and relief for the Palestinians as the Jewish community in Toronto has done through the United Jewish Appeal for the Israelis.
They’d be applying pressure to other Arab countries – starting with Egypt – to take in the Palestinians instead of spreading their toxic Jew hate on the streets of Toronto and other Canadian cities.
Folks, this is pure unadulterated Jew hatred, the kind of antisemitism that sends chills down my spine. As a Jew and outspoken Zionist, I can’t believe people who purport to be progressive can be so misinformed and misguided.
Toronto District School Board (TDSB) equity worker Javier Davila, who was the subject of a review and let off the hook, for crafting two antisemitic manuals in 2020 (I broke the story) didn’t wait even 24 hours to join a protest in Toronto waving a Palestinian flag.
He spent the week posting anti-Israel sentiments on Twitter and reposting his hateful anti-Israel resources.
Osgoode Hall law professor Heidi Matthews, who unequivocally supported Davila in 2020, has also been close to obsessive about posting or reposting anti-israel hatred. She even gave a patronizing comment to a fellow law professor in Israel after he called her out.
Derik Chica, a TDSB lead guidance counsellor and alleged social justice advocate, who was prominent in 2020 stirring up anti-Israel hate, seems to have little insight into how his tweets and his obsessive anti–Israel comments on teachers’ forums are hurtful to so many of his Jewish colleagues.
In one forum post shared with me, Chica says increases in antisemitic hate crimes are only because Jews have “privilege” and can take their concerns to police.
On X (formerly Twitter), Chica shared a post accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing,” asking why people aren’t condemning Israel.
He’s also tried to gin up support for the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement, accusing Israeli companies of being complicit in “genocide” and “apartheid.”
I’ve heard from several about him, who are afraid to allow their names to be used for fear of being targeted.
Whether he despises Jews or is desperately in need of attention, or both, his tweets do not hide his disdain for Israel – even though they violate the TDSB social media policy which advises posting hate is not acceptable.
By now, many are familiar with the toxic tweets of CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn, who from the moment the heinous Hamas crimes came to light a week ago was online glorifying what happened.
This is but one example.
He never once condemned the barbaric war crimes perpetrated on Israelis. And, when called out, he doubled down claiming he was being “targeted by a highly organized pro-Israel lobby that seeks to control the anti-Palestinian narrative.”
#BREAKING: CUPE Ontario says it’s targeted by “trolls” – “a highly organized pro-Israel lobby,” which targeted @FredHahnCUPE & CUPE 3906 for “recognition of Palestinians’ rights under international law to resist occupation through armed struggle.” https://t.co/hn0YXburVw
That in itself is an antisemitic trope. Talk about putting one’s foot in one’s mouth.
A petition calling for him to resign now has 7,000 signatures.
And then there are the self-loathing Jews like perennial loudmouth Judy Rebick and champagne socialists Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein. Do these misguided attention seekers really think they’d be spared from terrorism for being Jewish useful idiots?
Klein reposted this beauty:
NOW
We’re anti-Zionist Jews locking themselves up outside Nancy Pelosi’s office in SF
This genocide must end, the US is standing by as Gaza is annihilated, our representatives are responsible
Frankly, the antisemitism has ramped up so much, I find myself monitoring social media from morning to night with despair.
Most Jews, like myself, find the barbaric acts of terrorism on 1,300 innocent Israelis horrific enough.
But to see the denial played out on TV and on social media – by the ignorant, the indoctrinated, the misguided and those who seek to destroy the Jewish state – is downright terrifying.
Saskatchewan’s efforts to combat crime have yielded substantial results as the province’s Municipal Crime Reduction Teams (CRT) and Trafficking Response Teams (STRT) continue to put criminals engaged in human and drug trafficking behind bars.
Over the past few months, the specially designated police units have achieved remarkable outcomes, disrupting trafficking operations and getting deadly drugs off of the streets.
Between March and August 2023, nearly 3,600 grams of methamphetamine, 33,025 grams of cocaine, 1,036 grams of fentanyl were seized,
Additionally, police made 46 arrests, and deployed 50 search warrants, according to a government press release.
“The Saskatoon CRT conducts investigations that support the goal of disrupting, curtailing, and reducing criminal activity in relation to gang violence, organized crime, illegal guns, drugs and property crime,” said Saskatoon Chief of Police Troy Cooper.
“These are priorities that align with the Saskatchewan government in an effort to keep residents of not only Saskatoon, but of the entire province safe.”
Teams are specifically mandated to target street gangs and prolific offenders and to respond to urban and rural crime surges as needed.
On the human trafficking front, 61 human trafficking files were opened which resulted in 47 human trafficking interventions..
“When it comes to drug trafficking, illegal firearms and human trafficking in our province, it is important that we dedicate skilled and specialized police officers to investigate as this kind of organized criminal activity is uniquely complex,” said Regina Police Service Investigative Services Division Superintendent Trent Stevely.
“The Regina Police Service recognizes that the funding provided for CRT and STRT is invaluable. Without that financial assistance, we would not be able to provide the time and human resources needed to successfully investigate these types of criminal offences.”
In a significant shift from their previous decriminalization policy enacted just eight months ago, British Columbia’s NDP government has proposed new legislation that would make drug use nearly anywhere in public spaces illegal.
The law would prohibit drug use within 15 meters of designated areas like parks, playgrounds, sports fields, and beaches, with a reduced distance of six meters near residences, businesses, recreation centers, and other public spaces.
Jagmeet Singh survived a vote of confidence in his leadership at his party’s convention on the weekend – though his support among NDP members has taken a hit.
Singh received the support of 81% of the convention’s delegates on Saturday, a decrease over his last two reviews.
In 2018, Singh received 91% support from party delegates and 87% support in 2021. This represents the lowest level of support for the NDP leader since a majority of party members rejected Tom Mulcair’s leadership in 2016.
Despite the declining confidence in Singh’s leadership among the party membership, Singh declared a “strong mandate” from his party.
“I got a strong mandate and New Democrats are saying get out and work harder,” said Singh after the vote.
A major source of contention for the NDP has been its supply and confidence agreement with the governing Trudeau Liberals, which promises that the Liberals and NDP work together on a common set of policy goals in return for the NDP’s loyalty on confidence votes.
Some NDP members voiced their concerns with the supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, saying that the agreement has not produced the left-wing policy objectives that they had hoped for.
The B.C. NDP representative for women, Kristene Wickner, told CBC she is disappointed in the absence of a wealth tax and hopes the NDP becomes more ideologically left-wing.
“I think a lot of us are looking for the party at the federal level to occupy a truly left space. And I think Canadians want that, too,” said Wickner.
“When I talk to my friends who are not super partisan … they don’t really understand, at a fundamental level, the difference between the Liberal Party and the NDP. They don’t see why they would vote for the NDP.”
NDP delegates passed a resolution to force the party leadership to pressure the Liberals to make substantive progress to implementing a national pharmacare and dental care plan under the threat of withdrawal from the supply and confidence agreement.
The NDP convention also saw significant debate over Israeli-Palestinian issues in light of Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians earlier this month.
During the convention, a significant amount of pro-Palestinian protesters entered the convention venue and attempted to march onto the convention floor before they were stopped.
Singh told his party’s members that there is no justification for the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli citizens, drawing a round of applause.
However, Singh drew a much louder and longer round of applause when he called for an “immediate end of the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza,” illustrating the NDP membership’s disapproval of Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza.
The NDP passed an emergency resolution reiterating the party’s denouncement of Hamas’ terrorist attacks while calling for an end to “Israel’s total siege of Gaza.”
One delegate proposed that the resolution add wording that Palestinians are living in an “apartheid state,” though the proposition was voted down.
A taxpayer advocacy group is sounding the alarm about the cost of the federal carbon tax for Canadian families.
In a press release, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) warned that the tax is hitting families harder than government rebates can compensate for.
CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano criticized the government, saying that its claims of rebates offsetting the cost of the tax don’t add up.
“The Parliamentary Budget Officer is clear: the carbon tax costs families hundreds of dollars more than the rebates they get back,” said Terrazzano.
A Parliamentary Budget Officer’s findings showed that the carbon tax will cost the average household up to $710 this year, even after they get their rebates.
The Trudeau government has claimed their carbon tax plan will make families better off.
According to the CTF, it’s not credible to think that raising taxes and taking some for administration costs can actually help families.
“It simply isn’t credible to believe the feds can raise taxes, skim some off the top for administration costs and somehow make families better off,” said Terrazanno.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should scrap his carbon tax to save families hundreds of dollars every year.”
Newfoundland Liberal MP Ken McDonald recently opposed his government’s plan to further hike the carbon tax.
McDonald recently voted with the federal Conservatives to get rid of the carbon tax. He’s the only Liberal, NDP, or Bloc Québécois member to do so.
“Everywhere I go, people come up to me and say, you know, ‘We’re losing faith in the Liberal party’,” said McDonald.
“I think they will lose seats not just in Newfoundland, not just in Atlantic Canada, but indeed right across the country if they don’t get a grasp on this the way that I think they should.… And if an election were called today, I’m not sure if the Liberal party would actually form the government.”
