In two reports on antisemitism and Islamophobia in Canada, Liberal and NDP MPs on the House of Commons justice committee said Ottawa should take steps to keep student protest encampments off university grounds, criminally ban the display of terrorist emblems and recognize anti-Palestinian discrimination as a unique form of hate.
The antisemitism report’s first recommendation says the government should work with provinces and territories to see that universities ensure “encampments are not permitted,” and to determine “what the rules are for protests and demonstrations, including that hateful speech, and speech that incites and justifies violence, will not be tolerated.”
It also called on the government to ban the display of symbols linked to terrorist groups through the Criminal Code.
In its second report, focused on Islamophobia, the committee said the government should “formally recognize discrimination towards Palestinians as a distinct group” and invest in research to better understand it.
That report also urged Ottawa to work with provinces and territories to support “freedom of expression, academic freedom” and the safety and well-being of all students, staff and faculty, and “increase representation of Arab, Muslim, Palestinian and Arab faculty members.”
The two reports, which together offer 34 recommendations, were drafted by the House of Commons standing committee on justice and human rights after it heard from Jewish and Muslim advocacy groups, university students, administrators and academics.
The committee began its study of antisemitism and Islamophobia last spring, months after the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted. The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed more than 1,200 people and saw 250 people taken hostage.
Pro-Palestinian protest encampments appeared on campuses across the country after Israel launched a military operation in Gaza in response. That operation has now lasted nearly 14 months, has killed more than 44,000 people and has displaced most of the enclave’s population.
Committee members heard from university students who described an art project showcasing a Nazi swastika that was displayed publicly for days at the University of Alberta. They heard from a Muslim advocacy group that reported a 1,300 per cent rise in reports of Islamophobic incidents at its legal clinic in the last months of 2023.
The committee called on the federal government to consider creating a new “intimidation” offence under the Criminal Code to “more clearly and directly protect entrance to and exit from community buildings.”
It also wants the federal government to “provide additional resources to establish and maintain dedicated police hate crime units across the country.”
Conservative, Bloc members disagree with majority
Conservative and Bloc Québécois members of the committee both wrote dissenting opinions for each report.
In their dissenting report, Conservatives claimed the Liberals and NDP have made Canada “more divided and unsafe than ever.”
They accused the government of sending “conflicting messages … supporting Israel within Jewish communities while delivering contradictory statements to pro-Palestinian groups.”
While Conservative MPs said they agreed with most of the recommendations in the antisemitism report, they called on the federal government to end any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in federally funded post-secondary institutions. They pointed out that some Jewish witnesses claimed these programs have failed to make space for Jewish students.
In the report on Islamophobia, Conservatives disagreed with the call for separate recognition of anti-Palestinian racism. “We must first fully understand what [anti-Palestinian racism] entails and ensure it does not conflict with other forms of discrimination recognized in Canadian law,” they wrote.
Bloc MPs took issue with recommendations in both reports they viewed as infringements on Quebec’s jurisdiction.
“It is inconceivable that Quebec and Canadian universities should have a quota of Muslim, Palestinian or Arab professors, and the Bloc Québécois will never support the idea of professors being appointed on the basis of their religion or ethnicity, rather than their knowledge and competence,” Bloc MPs wrote in their dissenting opinion in the Islamophobia report.
The Bloc also rejected many of the recommendations in the antisemitism report, including intervention to reinforce campus security, again citing provincial jurisdiction.
Justice Minister Arif Virani’s office told CBC News the minister is “is carefully reviewing the Justice Committee’s findings and recommendations related to his portfolio. Our government will respond to the committee’s report in due course, as required by the standing orders.”