Canada’s Jewish communities face a “realistic possibility” of extremist violence in the coming months, according to a federal intelligence report.
The Integrated Threat Assessment Centre (ITAC) assessed that the most likely threat involves a lone actor using simple methods against accessible targets like synagogues, schools, or community centers. While Canada’s national terrorism threat level remains at medium, violent rhetoric and hate crimes against Jewish individuals-including public officials-are expected to rise as Middle East conflict persists.
Jewish Canadians are already the most targeted religious group for hate crimes in the country. Officials who are Jewish-and especially those who are women or part of the LGBTQ2 community-may face heightened risks. Non-Jewish officials perceived as aligned with Israel have also received threats.
In response, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree allocated $10 million for enhanced security at Jewish institutions. CSIS confirmed it has disrupted multiple potentially lethal threats linked to Iranian state actors and proxies targeting individuals in Canada.
