As Canadian Jews we are still processing the trauma inflicted by Hamas on October 7.
On that day, our community stood together stunned as the world bore witness to the savage brutality.
As one of only two Jewish Conservative Members of Parliament, the weight of those events has stayed with me every day for the past 17 months, as it has with all of us.
When Winnipeggers first elected me to Parliament six years ago, I was the only Jewish Conservative Member of Parliament. Since then, I’ve been joined by my brilliant colleague Melissa Lantsman, from Toronto, who now serves as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party.
Together, Melissa and I feel a profound responsibility representing the Canadian Jewish Community in the ranks of our Party.
I travelled to Israel in November of 2023, only weeks after October 7.
I walked among the shattered communities, where homes now stood burned and riddled with bullets.
I met with families whose loved ones were murdered by Hamas and those whose relatives were taken hostage. I promised them that, as a Jewish Member of Parliament from Canada, I would bear witness to what happened to them.
I have kept that promise in the House of Commons.
I used my role as Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. I fought at every opportunity to defend the interests of Canada’s Jewish Community. On countless occasions, I rose in the House to deliver speeches and statements condemning the horrific acts of October 7.
I have stood firmly against the rising tide of antisemitism, but I have not stood alone.
With me are 120 like-minded Conservative Members of Parliament from across Canada who have unwaveringly joined this fight. I am deeply grateful for their support.
Without reservation, I can say that in my work alongside Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, he has consistently been an unwavering friend and steadfast supporter of Israel and the Jewish community in the fight against antisemitism.
Like most Canadian Jews, my Conservative colleagues and I in Ottawa expected the world would shun Hamas’s barbaric acts. Tragically that was not the case.
Instead, our caucus was collectively shocked at the anti-Israel sentiment coming from the benches of the governing Liberal Party after October 7.
Even before October 7, the Liberals had awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants to Laith Marouf under the so-called 'Anti-Racism Action Program.' The federal government eventually cancelled his consulting contract after he was accused of posting antisemitic content on social media.
No politician or public servant was held accountable for this episode.
Yet, this was only the beginning. Here are only some further examples of the Liberal government's troubling record:
- Shortly after October 7, reports emerged alleging that a hospital had been bombed by the IDF. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly quickly condemned Israel publicly. However, clear evidence soon revealed it was a misfired Hamas rocket that caused the tragedy. To this day, neither former Prime Minister Trudeau nor Minister Joly has retracted their false accusations against Israel.
- At the United Nations, the Liberals have repeatedly abandoned Canada’s historical support for Israel. They abstained or, worse, voted with the anti-Israel mob in undermining our friend and ally.
- The Liberal government's anti-Israel bias reached its peak on March 18, 2024. Supported by the NDP and Bloc Québécois, the Liberals passed a motion explicitly banning arms exports from Canada to Israel and reinstating funding to UNRWA, a UN organization whose employees openly participated in Hamas’s October 7 massacres, and which continues to distribute antisemitic materials in its schools. In the House of Commons, my Conservative colleagues and I voted firmly against this disgraceful motion. All but three Liberals voted for it, and when it passed, Liberal and NDP MPs rose to applaud themselves.
While anti-Israel sentiment within the Liberal Party intensified, vile antisemitic marches took place on Canadian streets. Jewish institutions across the country have been vandalized, shot at, and firebombed.
During this difficult and dangerous time, new Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney hasn’t said even a single word in support of Canada’s Jewish community, or the State of Israel. Not one.
Yet, he has found time to criticize Israel publicly, recently stating that 'both parties' must work toward the return of hostages, equating a terrorist organization with a democratic ally.
When Liberal politicians like Mark Carney speak of 'both sides,' they're equating brutal terrorists with the democratic state of Israel. What Mr. Carney should be doing is unequivocally demanding the immediate release of all hostages.
Unfortunately, moral clarity is not something Liberal politicians seem capable of.
It’s clear, the upcoming federal election on April 28 is critical, for all of Canada, but particularly for Canada’s Jewish community.
It’s a choice between a morally ambivalent, and at times openly hostile, Liberal Party, and a Conservative Party that will always stand with our community.
As long as I have the honour of serving in the House of Commons, I will fight relentlessly against antisemitism in all its forms, and I know my Conservative colleagues will continue to do the same.
I have witnessed firsthand, on the floor of Parliament, how the Liberals will pander to anyone—including those who spread hate and extremism—if it helps them hold onto power.
Our community cannot afford to support a political party that values power over principle. The existential risk to Canadian Jews is simply too great.
We need a government that demonstrates moral clarity and courage, distinguishing clearly between right and wrong. Canada’s Jewish community is under attack, and this must stop.
Only one party has consistently and unequivocally proven it will fight for our safety, dignity, and rights. For Canadian Jews, there is only one choice: vote Conservative.
