New report shows incidents of antisemitism in Canada at record high: B’Nai Brith

B’nai Brith Canada's Paola Samuel looks on as chief executive officer Simon Wolle speaks during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA -- A new report released by Jewish human rights organization B’Nai Brith Canada shows antisemitism in the country has reached record levels.

Fuelled by geopolitical tensions in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, one of the country’s most prominent Jewish organizations says antisemitism in Canada has reached unprecedented levels.

“There is a national crisis of antisemitism, which is actually getting worse in Canada not better,” said Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy for B’Nai Brith Canada.

“The numbers are truly staggering. They speak for themselves and they cannot be ignored.”

Speaking with CTV News ahead of a Monday morning press conference on Parliament Hill, where the organization will make its new data public, Robertson identified what the numbers will show.

“This is a moment in time, where the Jewish community is facing a threat that it has never faced before, at least not since we began recording our audit of antisemitic incidents in 1982,” he said.

The most recent data from Statistics Canada shows hate crimes across the board have increased steadily for the last six consecutive years.

Jewish and Muslim communities are the most targeted religious groups.

“The data that we’re seeing is quite concerning,” said Stephen Brown, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

“At the National Council of Canadian Muslims, we have a legal clinic, and we’ve seen more than a tenfold rise of cases coming in,” he added.

In September, the federal government introduced new anti-hate legislation – Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act – aimed at making it easier to lay hate-related charges.

“Hate is not limited to the doorsteps of our religious institutions, but is prevalent throughout the entirety of our communities, we see it in our streets, we see it in our parks we see it in our grocery stores, frankly we see it almost everywhere,” said Justice Minister Sean Fraser at the time.

The bill has yet to become law but did pass its final vote in the House of Commons and has moved to the Senate for review.

Meanwhile, B’Nai Brith says Jewish communities in Canada continue to be unfairly targeted.

“It is not antisemitic to call out the Israeli government or to disagree with how Israel handles itself on the international stage, but when you use anti-Zionist rhetoric or your geopolitical leanings to justify hatred that is where we must draw a line,” said Robertson.

The organization will make the full findings of its annual report public Monday and says the concerning stats need to be addressed.