Increased federal funding for 'safeguarding Canada's Jewish community' welcomed by CIJA

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is welcoming a substantial increase in funding from the Canada Community Security Program.

Ottawa has more than doubled its funding allocation over five years from $60M to $135M, said Noah Shack, the CIJA’s CEO in a statement on Tuesday. “This is a significant step forward in safeguarding Canada’s Jewish community.”

The federal program provides funding to safeguard at-risk communities, including security upgrades, security guard funding and emergency training supports.

Since the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, threats targeting Canadian Jewish communities have continued to escalate, said Shack.

Meanwhile, he adds, Canada’s security agencies have warned that a violent mass attack against the Jewish community is a realistic possibility.

“It’s essential that government programs evolve to meet this challenge head-on,” said Shack. “Today’s announcement, together with with the recent $10 million in emergency funding for the Jewish community, represents Canada’s most substantial investment in community security to date.

“These investments are essential for the future of Jewish life in this country, helping community institutions that are increasingly forced to divert resources away from education, social services, and childcare to meet urgent security needs.”

National Post previously reported on the CIJA’s lobby efforts for increased funding in today’s economic statement.

In an April 15 letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, the CIJA estimated that annual security costs within Canadian Jewish communities will reach $100 million.

The letter was endorsed by more than 80 Jewish federations, community centres, synagogues, camps and schools.

“Rising security demands are forcing cuts and scaling back services, placing a growing strain on the future of Jewish life across the country,” stated the letter. It also harkened back to a Liberal party statement made in the federal election campaign that “increased security costs amidst rising antisemitism should not be borne by the Jewish community alone.”

Previously, the CIJA estimated that Canada’s per capita investment in Jewish community security is one-third of the United Kingdom’s and one-quarter of Australia’s.

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