Good morning, Madam Chair and honourable members of the committee.

My name is Gabriel Miller, and I am the president and CEO of Universities Canada. As an organization, we are the federal and international voice of Canadian universities.

Though it's only been two months since I joined Universities Canada, I can be certain that there will never be another issue more important than the one we're here to discuss today.

I want to begin by thanking the committee for undertaking this important and timely study. Even more important, I want to thank the Jewish students and scholars who have bravely shared their painful stories. I'm sorry for what you've endured. We hear you, and we take this very seriously.

Universities Canada unequivocally condemns anti-Semitism and all forms of racism and discrimination. Hateful anti-Semitic acts have no place on our campuses or in our communities. They must be stopped.

Learning on a supportive campus free from harassment, intimidation or fear for one's safety is critical for students and for the integrity of our institutions. The academic environment should foster freedom of expression, and with that comes the freedom to confront opinions or statements we may find misguided or offensive. However, students must feel secure attending university to learn and to participate fully in campus life.

As a national organization, at Universities Canada, we've been acting recently in four main areas.

First, we've been working with public safety and the RCMP to help ensure the physical safety of students, staff and faculty.

Second, we've been preventing hate and anti-Semitic acts through campus codes of conduct, which should, by definition, help protect Jewish students.

Third, we've been sharing best practices and lessons among institutions and the community.

Fourth, we've been working with 27 universities to detail the specific actions they are taking to fight anti-Semitism in response to a December 13 request from MPs.

Universities Canada is working closely with Deboarah Lyons, the Department of Public Safety, the RCMP, local MPs and community-led organizations such as the Network of Engaged Canadian Academics, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and B'nai Brith Canada. We are also in close contact with our international counterparts like Universities UK and the American Council on Education.

We are listening carefully to Jewish students and scholars and to leaders in the fight against anti-Semitism. We welcome the practical, concrete solutions that have been presented to this committee, including proposals to ensure equal application of codes of conduct; EDI policies that fight anti-Semitism and protect Jewish students, faculty and staff; new education and training programs; more extensive data collection and reporting; and broadening the use of the non-binding IHRA definition as a valuable tool to help universities identify and address anti-Semitism.

We are committed to working with you, with governments and with Jewish partners to address these recommendations.

We know from police reports and annual audits that incidents of anti-Semitism have been steadily rising in Canada. As many who have appeared before the committee have rightly pointed out, if anti-Semitism is not stopped wherever it's found, it spreads; it grows. We cannot forget the lessons of history when it comes to how unchecked hateful language too easily progresses to more hateful actions.

These problems do not stop at the edge of campus. Anti-Semitism affects our whole society and demands a national whole-of-government response. It is not a partisan issue either, and I hope members will continue to approach this study and the resulting report with a multipartisan approach.

Universities have a particular responsibility to be models for respectful dialogue and respectful conduct. This responsibility extends not only to our students, staff and faculty, but also to leaders in the broader Canadian community. It is incumbent on us to do everything in our purview to prevent antisemitism, just as it is incumbent on elected leaders and leaders from all sectors to do the same.

Thank you for undertaking this important work. I look forward to answering your questions.