Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm here on behalf of B'nai Brith Canada, which is Canada's most senior human rights organization and the voice of Canada's grassroots Jewish community. Our organization, which was established in 1875, is dedicated to eradicating anti-Semitism and hatred in all of its forms and championing the rights of the marginalized.

B'nai Brith's submission to this honourable committee comes at a time of immense uncertainty for Canada's Jewish community. Over the past year, Canadian Jewry have been left feeling progressively more vulnerable and marginalized. The present responses to the increasing hate and incitement have failed to stem the rising levels of anti-Semitism and growing number of threats facing Jewish Canadians.

The upcoming federal budget presents an ideal opportunity for the federal government to devote additional resources towards combatting this worsening predicament. The purpose of B'nai Brith's submission is to aid the committee in ensuring its final report contains recommendations that can be utilized by the federal government to ensure the well-being, security and continued vitality of Canada's Jewish communities from coast to coast.

Our first recommendation is that the Government of Canada review all federal grant programs to ensure that only projects that align with Canada's anti-racism strategy, which was recently renewed for another four years, receive federal funding. Such a recommendation is required to ensure that federal funds are granted to projects that align with Canada's anti-racism strategy.

Our second recommendation is that the Government of Canada dedicate funding to develop a five-year program to enhance the nation's literacy in relation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism, particularly amongst Canadian secondary and post-secondary students.

This recommendation comes at a time when, in its audit of anti-Semitic incidents, my organization noted an over 109% rise in incidents of anti-Semitism from 2022 to 2024, and when, according to a recent Leger poll conducted this summer, “Canadians between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely (31 per cent) to doubt the official death toll of the Holocaust, followed by 27 per cent for those between the ages of 18 and 24.”

The recommendation would complement the upcoming release of the special envoy's IHRA handbook. It would also ensure that young Canadians are aware of what constitutes contemporary anti-Semitism by educating them on the examples the IHRA has provided as a guide. Enhanced IHRA literacy would also help to combat the increasing levels of misinformation surrounding the Holocaust.

Our third recommendation is that the Government of Canada make new investments to support and strengthen Canada's ability to monitor and prevent terrorism. Funding should be provided to enhance the capacity and expand the capabilities of Canada's integrated national security enforcement teams, or INSETs.

This recommendation comes in the wake of multiple thwarted terror plots in or emanating from Canada that targeted Jewish persons. Jewish communities across the country are bearing the brunt of the alarming rise in radicalism, with their safety and well-being increasingly threatened by radicalized individuals and extremist rhetoric.

This is an issue that must be confronted proactively. Funding must be allocated to ensure the expanded capacity of INSETs to confront these threats.

Our final recommendation is that the Government of Canada provide funding to create a publicly accessible digital archive of all government records related to the Holocaust and then have Library and Archives Canada release them in a non-redacted and accessible format to the public.

The time to act is now. The situation for Jewish Canadians has become untenable. That is why B'nai Brith is asking the Standing Committee on Finance to take action by adopting these recommendations in its forthcoming report.

Thank you.