On Thursday, March 6, 2025, a National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism will take place in Ottawa. It will include representatives of federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments, and law enforcement agencies, as well as community representatives. A number of ALCCA’s member organizations have been invited to participate in the event. That participation will include input provided in small working groups or tables following two panel presentations. As a legal expert in hate-motivated crime, ALCCA Chair Mark Sandler will address the conference during the second panel.
The focus of the National Forum will be on public safety and law enforcement issues pertaining to antisemitism in Canada. It is hoped that the Forum will provide an opportunity for community groups to network with government representatives and each other and assist in identifying deliverables for governments at all levels and law enforcement in creating and implementing national, regional and local strategies to combat antisemitism. Aspirational statements alone at the end of the Forum will not adequately address the community’s needs.
It is recognized that short-term uncertainty exists as to the composition of the federal government. This should not preclude development of deliverables for municipal and provincial/territorial governments and law enforcement agencies and make federal candidates and political parties accountable for their willingness or lack thereof to take identified actions, on a priority basis, to combat antisemitism.
To facilitate the community’s participation in the National Forum, and to assist in identifying the actions that governments and law enforcement should take, Sandler has prepared a Discussion Paper. We invite everyone to read the Discussion Paper and utilize it, as they see fit, to identify issues in how antisemitism is currently being dealt with by governments and law enforcement, and what actions need be taken.
About the Author
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.