Our Priorities

No Hate No Fear sign

Combating Antisemitism

According to Statistics Canada police-reported hate crime data, Jews are targets in 67% of religiously motivated hate crime across the country. CIJA works with all levels of government, local Jewish community partners, and allies from other diverse minorities to combat antisemitism online and in the real world.

Flags of Israel and Canada

Strengthening the Canada-Israel Friendship

CIJA educates Canadians about the central role Israel plays in Jewish life and identity. We monitor issues that affect the Canada-Israel friendship that benefits both Canadians and Israelis and enjoys cross-partisan support.

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Protecting the Quality of Jewish Life

CIJA works with Jewish service delivery agencies and other minority communities to advance social policies aligned with Jewish values that benefit all Canadians.

Our Policy Recommendations

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Build a more accessible Canada

Build a more accessible Canada

According to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability by Statistics Canada, more than six million Canadians, or 22% of the population, identify as living with a disability.

Reform the justice system to fight hate crimes

Reform the justice system to fight hate crimes

Canada is one of the best countries in the world to be Jewish, but statistics show that the Jewish community nevertheless remains one of the most frequently targeted minorities for hate crime.

Maintain diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime

Maintain diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime

Iran remains a leading threat to human rights and global security. The Jewish people are targeted by this threat, as demonstrated by Iran’s genocidal rhetoric against Israel and its sponsorship of terror groups.

More accessible affordable housing

More accessible affordable housing

The National Housing Strategy (NHS) includes important commitments to fund up to 2,400 new housing units for people with developmental disabilities. Programs within the NHS include funding for individuals with disabilities.

 Denounce the Palestinian Authority’s “pay-to-slay” program

Denounce the Palestinian Authority’s “pay-to-slay” program

The Palestinian Authority’s Martyr’s Fund incentivizes and rewards violence by paying imprisoned or injured Palestinians or families of those killed as a result of committing acts of violence against Israelis. Recipients of funds include mass murderers and families of suicide bombers.

End the underreporting of Jewish Canadians in the census

End the underreporting of Jewish Canadians in the census

From 2011 to 2016, the number of Canadians who reported that they are Jewish dropped by more than half. This was not due to a demographic change but to the removal of “Jewish” as a specific example in the question on ethnic origin and to the question on household religion being asked only in alternate censuses (or once in ten years).

Ensure Canadian foreign aid is aligned with Canadian values & policy 

Ensure Canadian foreign aid is aligned with Canadian values & policy 

Canadians can be proud of our track record providing billions annually in international assistance and humanitarian aid, funding medical supplies, water, and food. However, if released into the wrong hands, humanitarian aid can be syphoned off from its target population with deadly consequences.

Close the legal gap on hate speech

Close the legal gap on hate speech

Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, an effective but flawed tool in combating online hate speech, was removed in 2013. This left a gap in the effort to protect Canadians from hate speech that could be addressed in several ways

Recognize that anti-Zionism  is a form of antisemitism

Recognize that anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism

CIJA believes in a two-state solution, one that will allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security as neighbours. This has also been the official policy of Canadian governments, both Liberal and Conservative, for decades, and it is broadly supported by the majorities of both Canadian Jews and the broader Canadian public.

Introduce a Canadian IHRA Handbook

Introduce a Canadian IHRA Handbook

The rise of disinformation and online hate is a threat not just to Jewish Canadians and other vulnerable communities but to all Canadians and to our democracy. Social media literacy is a vital tool for interacting safely with today’s internet.

Launch a national social media literacy campaign

Launch a national social media literacy campaign

The rise of disinformation and online hate is a threat not just to Jewish Canadians and other vulnerable communities but to all Canadians and to our democracy. Social media literacy is a vital tool for interacting safely with today’s internet.

Fight online hate and radicalization

Fight online hate and radicalization

As seen in attacks on Jewish communities in Pittsburgh, San Diego County, Jersey City, and Monsey, as well as on mosques in Christchurch and elsewhere, online threats can – and often do – lead to real-world violence.

Advocate for restitution for Holocaust Survivors

Advocate for restitution for Holocaust Survivors

In 2009, Canada and 45 other countries committed to the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets. It calls for just and fair solutions regarding private communal and heirless property stolen from Jews during WWII.

Support refugees fleeing persecution and genocide

Support refugees fleeing persecution and genocide

As a community with a history of fleeing persecution, Jewish Canadians have played a significant role in supporting refugees. Through synagogues and agencies Jewish Canadians have sponsored many refugees.

Support non-profit social services

Support non-profit social services

CIJA works closely with our partners at the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies (The Network) to advocate for non-profit social services. These non-profits provide assistance to both Jewish and...
Ban the Promotion of Symbols of Terror

Ban the Promotion of Symbols of Terror

The growth in hate crimes against the Jewish community is being spurred by inflammatory language surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict, especially by anti-Israel protesters targeting Jewish-owned businesses and communities. These protests...

Policy Accomplishments

Introduce a Canadian IHRA Handbook

Introduce a Canadian IHRA Handbook

In 2019, Canada formally adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. The IHRA definition is the most widely accepted definition of antisemitism and was created through decades of...
Streamline and Improve the SIP program

Streamline and Improve the SIP program

The Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) is a key initiative that provides essential funding for institutions to enhance their security infrastructure. The SIP provides funding to private and non-profit organizations at...
Add Samidoun to the list of terrorist entities

Add Samidoun to the list of terrorist entities

Samidoun (Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network) is a registered Canadian not-for-profit with clear a direct affiliation and ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – an organization...
Implement a National Caregiving Strategy

Implement a National Caregiving Strategy

According to the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, 50% of Canadians will be a caregiver at some point in their life. This includes end-of-life care and care for ill or...
Fight online hate and radicalization

Fight online hate and radicalization

As seen in attacks on Jewish communities in Pittsburgh, San Diego County, Jersey City, and Monsey, as well as on mosques in Christchurch and elsewhere, online threats can – and often do – lead to real-world violence.

Pass the Canada Disability Benefit

Pass the Canada Disability Benefit

Provincial disability benefits have not kept pace with inflation, and Jewish social service agencies have reported that their clients and in general Canadians living with disabilities are not receiving necessary...
Prevent government funding from supporting hate 

Prevent government funding from supporting hate 

In August 2022, it was revealed that support from the Government of Canada, including anti-racism funding, had gone to an organization that provided a platform to Laith Marouf, who has a long history...
Strengthening Canada’s COVID-19 recovery

Strengthening Canada’s COVID-19 recovery

While Canada has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic better than many nations, months of physical distancing and social isolation have taken a drastic toll. According to data from the Canadian Mental...
Support for Black communities

Support for Black communities

Anti-Black racism is a malicious hatred that must be stopped. We all have a role to play in building a better Canada, free from racism, antisemitism, inequality, and inequity. According...
Implement UNDRIP

Implement UNDRIP

An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was given Royal Assent in June 2021. Entrenching UNDRIP in Canadian law demonstrates our collective commitment...
Criminalize Holocaust denial

Criminalize Holocaust denial

What starts with Jews never ends with Jews. The Holocaust was a horrific genocide where more than six million Jews and other targeted minorities, one and a half million of...
End the blood ban

End the blood ban

During times of chronic shortages in Canada’s blood supply, LGBTQ2+ Canadians want to help save lives. Unfortunately, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) prohibits many LGBTQ2+ individuals from donating blood unless they have been celibate for at least three months.