Toronto (February 27, 2020) - A bill backed from its inception by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) received unanimous support from MPPs at Queen's Park today.

The Combating Antisemitism Act, first presented to the legislature by MPPs Will Bouma and Robin Martin last fall, is now approved for a final reading necessary for the bill to become law.

During debate in the legislature, MPPs from both the governing Conservatives as well as opposition NDP spoke passionately about the scourge of antisemitism and the urgent need for governments to take an active role in fighting hatred towards the Jewish community.

“Antisemitism is becoming increasingly prevalent and dangerous, and it is time that governments at all levels stand united to confront it,” said Avi Benlolo, president and CEO of FSWC. “We are absolutely thrilled that this important bill has received such strong support from our legislators on all sides, and we hope to see it quickly go to a final vote so it can become law.”

“The Jewish community remains the most frequently targeted group when it comes to hate crimes in Canada, with an incident taking place roughly every 24 hours. This is completely unacceptable,” Brantford-Brant, MPP Will Bouma said. “By unifying the government to be guided by the IHRA working definition, this bill will permit a whole-of-government response to the scourge that is antisemitism.”

The Combating Antisemitism Act calls on the Government of Ontario to adopt the international definition of antisemitism as outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). This definition has already been adopted by more than 30 national governments, including Canada’s.