Canada's Conservatives woo Jewish voters in attempt to loosen Liberal hold on major cities
<b>TORONTO</b> — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is strategically aiming to attract Jewish Canadian votes, seeking to leverage growing dissatisfaction with the Liberal government's approach to antisemitism and the ongoing Israel-Hamas...
TroibNews 
TORONTO — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is strategically aiming to attract Jewish Canadian votes, seeking to leverage growing dissatisfaction with the Liberal government's approach to antisemitism and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Conservative Party has undertaken extensive outreach efforts within the Jewish community, focusing particularly on Toronto and Montreal—key voter-rich areas that often influence who ascends to Canada’s prime ministership.
With the Liberals firmly holding many of these seats, even minor shifts in voter loyalty could significantly impact what is anticipated to be a critical political contest for Canada’s future. This trend has already prompted political shifts in recent elections, as evidenced by developments in the U.S. and U.K. last year.
“We’ve always had debates and disagreements about foreign issues in Canada, but those disagreements did not spill into violence on our streets. People left the violence abroad,” Poilievre remarked during his campaign, referencing pro-Palestinian protests.
“The Jewish community feels understandably under siege, as these hate marches and antisemitic outbursts have become an unfortunate part of Canadian life, and Liberals have encouraged these divisions,” he added.
In recent incidents, a gunman targeted a Jewish elementary school in north Toronto three times, while synagogues and Jewish community centers have faced attacks, including a firebombing of a Montreal synagogue and vandalism of Jewish businesses.
In Montreal's suburbs, Liberal incumbent Anthony Housefather, a Jewish candidate facing vandalism of his campaign signs, has attempted to distance himself from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the ongoing conflict.
Although Trudeau condemned some pro-Palestinian protests on academic campuses and increased funding to combat hate crimes, many perceived his actions as inadequate.
“There was an ambiguity in certain senses where he felt there was a need to constantly mention Islamophobia and antisemitism in the same breath all the time," Housefather shared with PMG. "The constant balance of wording was frustrating for both sides."
Housefather even contemplated leaving the party after the Liberal caucus made a symbolic vote in the House of Commons to recognize Palestinian statehood. Many constituents in Mount Royal, an electoral district with a high concentration of Jewish voters, have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of action against rising antisemitism, according to Housefather. In response, Poilievre has promised to enact stricter laws targeting vandalism, "hate marches that break laws," and violent ethnic or religious attacks.
He has also pledged to cut funding from the United Nations agency that assists Palestinian refugees and to defund “wokeism and fight antisemitism” at federally supported universities and museums.
Housefather noted that these promises have led some Jewish voters, who previously supported the Liberals, to shift their allegiance to the Conservatives. He acknowledged spending “much more time” this election reaching out to these constituents.
While the Liberals control most of Toronto's seats, Conservative Don Stewart recently won a midtown district by a slim margin of 600 votes in a special election, marking the party's first victory in the area in over three decades.
Conservative candidates are now trying to replicate Stewart’s campaign success in key battlegrounds.
“He showed us we can accomplish this,” Conservative candidate Roman Baber, contesting in north Toronto, stated at a recent campaign event. Stewart declined to comment to PMG.
The Liberals are actively working to regain support in the district, represented by candidate Leslie Church, but have faced challenges in neighborhoods with significant Jewish populations. The Liberal campaign has been distributing literature addressing their stance on Israel and regularly door-knocking in these areas. However, some Jewish Canadians feel that the Liberals have not done enough to address the increase in antisemitism since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli response in Gaza.
“I hear those concerns every day from families and members of the Jewish community in the riding,” Church reported to PMG. “We’ve had a tremendous rise in hate crimes in midtown and it’s making people scared, and rightfully so.”
As antisemitism rises to prominence as an electoral issue, new Liberal Leader Mark Carney has vowed to establish safe bubble zones around places of worship and criminalize intimidation against those attending such sites, schools, or community centers.
“In Montreal, in Toronto, across this country, [there are people] who fear going to their synagogue, fear going to their community center, fear taking their children [and] leaving their children in school, and this has to stop,” Carney asserted during the federal leaders debate last week in Montreal. “It’s totally unacceptable.”
A report from the Toronto Police Service, Canada’s largest municipal force, indicates that nearly C$20 million has been allocated to combat rising hate crimes since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Approximately half of reported hate crimes in Toronto targeted the Jewish community.
Many voters in the region express significant dissatisfaction with the Liberal government's management of pro-Palestinian protests, arguing it is hypocritical that these protests have not been curtailed as the federal government did with the "Freedom Convoy"—a series of protests led by Conservatives that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for three weeks and disrupted Canada-U.S. trade in opposition to COVID-19 measures.
“I didn’t necessarily agree with them — there was a global pandemic, I got vaccinated. But when I look back at how they treated those people for speaking up for Canadian values: The government froze their bank accounts and arrested them,” stated Ian Jacobs, a Conservative voter from Toronto. “Whereas you see on a weekly basis, pro-hate rallies that justify Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, the Islamic regime in Iran, and the police let them do it. It’s all backwards.”
He pointed to the Canadian flag, once prominently displayed during the "Freedom Convoy" protests but burned at an anti-Israel demonstration, as evidence that the nation’s core values are being undermined under Liberal governance.
“It’s hypocritical,” he commented.
Jason Daniel Baker, a Toronto writer, shares his frustration regarding the weekly protests in his neighborhood. After witnessing vandalism at a local bookstore by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, he decided to rejoin the Conservative Party, having previously torn up his membership a decade ago.
“Pierre Poilievre is a lifelong supporter of Israel,” Baker asserted, pledging to vote Conservative. “They believe Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and so do I.”
Online in Jewish support groups, individuals are echoing these sentiments, urging relatives and neighbors to vote Conservative in the upcoming election. Some even express intentions to relocate to Israel if the Liberals secure a fourth mandate.
The Conservatives are optimistic that their firm support for Jewish Canadians will prove to be an electoral advantage.
“We're going to set a different tone, and we're going to end the ugliness that we're seeing on Canadian streets,” Baber promised. “We're going to make Canada safe for the Jewish community.”
Ian Smith for TROIB News
The Conservative Party has undertaken extensive outreach efforts within the Jewish community, focusing particularly on Toronto and Montreal—key voter-rich areas that often influence who ascends to Canada’s prime ministership.
With the Liberals firmly holding many of these seats, even minor shifts in voter loyalty could significantly impact what is anticipated to be a critical political contest for Canada’s future. This trend has already prompted political shifts in recent elections, as evidenced by developments in the U.S. and U.K. last year.
“We’ve always had debates and disagreements about foreign issues in Canada, but those disagreements did not spill into violence on our streets. People left the violence abroad,” Poilievre remarked during his campaign, referencing pro-Palestinian protests.
“The Jewish community feels understandably under siege, as these hate marches and antisemitic outbursts have become an unfortunate part of Canadian life, and Liberals have encouraged these divisions,” he added.
In recent incidents, a gunman targeted a Jewish elementary school in north Toronto three times, while synagogues and Jewish community centers have faced attacks, including a firebombing of a Montreal synagogue and vandalism of Jewish businesses.
In Montreal's suburbs, Liberal incumbent Anthony Housefather, a Jewish candidate facing vandalism of his campaign signs, has attempted to distance himself from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the ongoing conflict.
Although Trudeau condemned some pro-Palestinian protests on academic campuses and increased funding to combat hate crimes, many perceived his actions as inadequate.
“There was an ambiguity in certain senses where he felt there was a need to constantly mention Islamophobia and antisemitism in the same breath all the time," Housefather shared with PMG. "The constant balance of wording was frustrating for both sides."
Housefather even contemplated leaving the party after the Liberal caucus made a symbolic vote in the House of Commons to recognize Palestinian statehood. Many constituents in Mount Royal, an electoral district with a high concentration of Jewish voters, have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of action against rising antisemitism, according to Housefather. In response, Poilievre has promised to enact stricter laws targeting vandalism, "hate marches that break laws," and violent ethnic or religious attacks.
He has also pledged to cut funding from the United Nations agency that assists Palestinian refugees and to defund “wokeism and fight antisemitism” at federally supported universities and museums.
Housefather noted that these promises have led some Jewish voters, who previously supported the Liberals, to shift their allegiance to the Conservatives. He acknowledged spending “much more time” this election reaching out to these constituents.
While the Liberals control most of Toronto's seats, Conservative Don Stewart recently won a midtown district by a slim margin of 600 votes in a special election, marking the party's first victory in the area in over three decades.
Conservative candidates are now trying to replicate Stewart’s campaign success in key battlegrounds.
“He showed us we can accomplish this,” Conservative candidate Roman Baber, contesting in north Toronto, stated at a recent campaign event. Stewart declined to comment to PMG.
The Liberals are actively working to regain support in the district, represented by candidate Leslie Church, but have faced challenges in neighborhoods with significant Jewish populations. The Liberal campaign has been distributing literature addressing their stance on Israel and regularly door-knocking in these areas. However, some Jewish Canadians feel that the Liberals have not done enough to address the increase in antisemitism since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli response in Gaza.
“I hear those concerns every day from families and members of the Jewish community in the riding,” Church reported to PMG. “We’ve had a tremendous rise in hate crimes in midtown and it’s making people scared, and rightfully so.”
As antisemitism rises to prominence as an electoral issue, new Liberal Leader Mark Carney has vowed to establish safe bubble zones around places of worship and criminalize intimidation against those attending such sites, schools, or community centers.
“In Montreal, in Toronto, across this country, [there are people] who fear going to their synagogue, fear going to their community center, fear taking their children [and] leaving their children in school, and this has to stop,” Carney asserted during the federal leaders debate last week in Montreal. “It’s totally unacceptable.”
A report from the Toronto Police Service, Canada’s largest municipal force, indicates that nearly C$20 million has been allocated to combat rising hate crimes since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Approximately half of reported hate crimes in Toronto targeted the Jewish community.
Many voters in the region express significant dissatisfaction with the Liberal government's management of pro-Palestinian protests, arguing it is hypocritical that these protests have not been curtailed as the federal government did with the "Freedom Convoy"—a series of protests led by Conservatives that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for three weeks and disrupted Canada-U.S. trade in opposition to COVID-19 measures.
“I didn’t necessarily agree with them — there was a global pandemic, I got vaccinated. But when I look back at how they treated those people for speaking up for Canadian values: The government froze their bank accounts and arrested them,” stated Ian Jacobs, a Conservative voter from Toronto. “Whereas you see on a weekly basis, pro-hate rallies that justify Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, the Islamic regime in Iran, and the police let them do it. It’s all backwards.”
He pointed to the Canadian flag, once prominently displayed during the "Freedom Convoy" protests but burned at an anti-Israel demonstration, as evidence that the nation’s core values are being undermined under Liberal governance.
“It’s hypocritical,” he commented.
Jason Daniel Baker, a Toronto writer, shares his frustration regarding the weekly protests in his neighborhood. After witnessing vandalism at a local bookstore by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, he decided to rejoin the Conservative Party, having previously torn up his membership a decade ago.
“Pierre Poilievre is a lifelong supporter of Israel,” Baker asserted, pledging to vote Conservative. “They believe Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and so do I.”
Online in Jewish support groups, individuals are echoing these sentiments, urging relatives and neighbors to vote Conservative in the upcoming election. Some even express intentions to relocate to Israel if the Liberals secure a fourth mandate.
The Conservatives are optimistic that their firm support for Jewish Canadians will prove to be an electoral advantage.
“We're going to set a different tone, and we're going to end the ugliness that we're seeing on Canadian streets,” Baber promised. “We're going to make Canada safe for the Jewish community.”
Ian Smith for TROIB News
