EDITORIAL: Antisemitism the new normal in Canada

Governments, with only rare exceptions, have bowed to mob rule, normalized threats and violence now aimed at Jews

Published Sep 21, 2026  •  2 minute read

Belleville Police Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks, left, and Kristy Denette, communications co-ordinator of Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, speak to reporters on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue following a gunfire exchange at the place of worship the day before in Belleville, Ont. Photo by DEREK BALDWIN /Postmedia Network

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We didn’t intend our Sunday editorial — “A failure to confront the world’s oldest hatred” — on the explosion of antisemitism in Canada ever since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to be prophetic.

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That said, it was shocking but not surprising that hours later in Belleville, 190 km east of Toronto, on the eve of Yom Kippur — the holiest day in the Jewish year, as we noted in our editorial — Jews were again under siege in Canada.

This time, it was a small congregation about to enter the sanctuary of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in the small eastern Ontario city, population 55,000, to begin 24 hours of prayer and fasting during the Jewish holiday known as the Day of Atonement.

Postmedia’s Warren Kinsella described the horrors they underwent as police traded gunfire outside the synagogue with a man police have identified as Sean Ward, 29, of Quinte West, Ont.

Officials with the Special Investigations Unit are seen exiting an SIU vehicle on Victoria Ave. on the morning of Monday, Sept 21, not far from the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville. Investigators are looking into a gunfire exhange on Sunday evening involving a Belleville Police officer and a man outside the synagogue. Both men were critically injured and transported to Kingston General Hospital. Photo by DEREK BALDWIN /POSTMEDIA NEWS

Yet another attack on Jewish community

Police said he sustained life-threatening injuries, while Const. Jeff Smith, who returned fire along with another officer, sustained serious injuries. He is in intensive care and we wish a full recovery.

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We don’t yet know the motives of the man police said opened fire at the synagogue.

But the fact it was yet another attack at a synagogue since Hamas launched its terrorist attack on Israel three years ago prompted the usual pro-forma denunciations of the violence by politicians at every level of government.

But here’s the thing.

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Political expressions of sympathy to Canada’s Jewish community, along with the nostrum that this is “not who we are,” are useless when it comes to keeping Canada’s Jewish community safe.

In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israeli civilians three years ago, our governments at all levels — federal, provincial and municipal — had plenty of existing laws in place to stop the spread of threats, hatred, vandalism and violence aimed at Jews in Canada.

These were clearly illegal acts that had nothing to do with the legal right to protest the actions of the Israeli government and military in Gaza.

Instead of using those laws, our governments, with only rare exceptions, bowed to mob rule and normalized the threats and violence now aimed at Jews.

That’s what Canada is today.

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