Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre marked the one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by speaking against rising antisemitism in Canada during a ceremony in Ottawa on Monday night.
But while Trudeau spoke about the need to fight rising antisemitism in general, Poilievre largely offered a pointed criticism of the Liberal government.
“This ideology that seeks to divide out people based on race and ethnicity, that has led to these horrifying outbursts of hatred, are not from the bottom up. They are from the top down,” Poilievre said.
The Conservative leader pointed to recent controversies — such as the appointment of Birju Dattani as chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the granting of a federal contract to a group who employed a consultant that was accused of posting antisemitic content on X — as examples of the government’s failings.
“It is time for the people to change the government,” he said to a loud applause from the room.
Poilivre said if his party forms government, he would defund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and deny federal funding to universities that “spread antisemitism or make Jews feel unsafe and uncomfortable on their campuses.”
“We will put behind us this ugly ideology that has divided our people and we will reclaim the country that we knew and love,” he said.
Trudeau, who spoke ahead of Poilievre, began his remarks by thanking those gathered and specifically naming members of his caucus.
“Thank you to the parliamentarians from all parties who are putting partisanship aside to be here today,” Trudeau said.
The prime minister spoke generally about the need to combat antisemitism in Canada in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack waged by Hamas militants.
“What makes this barbaric attack that much more agonizing is the fact that you’re reliving this nightmare every single day. You relive it when cowards shoot and smash the windows of your schools and synagogues in the middle of the night. You relive it when antisemites wave the flags of Hamas and Hezbollah on the streets of our cities,” Trudeau said Monday.
“It is unacceptable for any of this behaviour to be normalized. It is incumbent on me and on every leader … to give antisemitism no quarter, to stop this rising hate and to reverse its spread.”
While Trudeau received applause for his remarks, the applause that greeted Poilievre was notably louder.
Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, spoke before Trudeau or Poilievre took the stage and praised Canada as a friend of Israel, one with “integrity and honour.”
But the ambassador also questioned some of the Liberal government’s recent actions, such as barring certain military exports to Israel and the Liberal support for a House motion on Palestinian statehood.
Moed did say he was encouraged by the recent designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Crops as a terrorist organization.
“In a world that is increasingly dangerous and where evil sadly does exist, Canadians and Israelis must work together in defence of our people and our values as liberal democracies.”
Earlier Monday, MPs observed a moment of silence in the House of Commons to mark the anniversary of the attack. The House also passed a unanimous motion condemning the attack and expressing support for the victims and their families.
Around 1,200 people were killed during Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023, including several Canadian. Around 250 people were taken hostage.
Oct. 7 marks one year since Hamas attacked Israel. More than 1,000 people were killed, and another 250 were taken hostage. The ensuing conflict in the Middle East has claimed thousands of lives and sparked global division and protests.
Since then, at least 41,500 people have been killed in Israel’s ongoing air and ground military offensive, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
It’s believed about 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
About 90 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced from their homes and at least 680 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank.
On Monday, the Israel Defence Forces said 728 of its soldiers have died in Gaza in the last year.
