Anti-Semitic incidents in Canada have increased more than fourfold over the past decade, says B’nai Brith Canada.
In its annual audit presented in Ottawa, B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights documented 1,042 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2007 – a record high and 11.4 percent more than in 2006.
The group said there were just 250 incidents reported in 1998.
The report found the number of anti-Semitic incidents rose 28.8 percent in Quebec last year, to 291; and 2.3 per cent in Ontario, to 582.
The only province to see a drop was Alberta, where incidents declined by 38 percent, to 28.
Of the total number of incidents last year in Canada, 699 involved harassment, 315 involved vandalism, and 28 involved violence.
The report also said anti-Semitism, once largely confined to urban centers, appears to be increasing in rural areas.
“The audit is a barometer that should be a call to action,” said Anita Bromberg, the League’s legal director. “Our experience is that you can’t ignore a problem hoping it will go away.”
