Today, I rise to address an issue affecting Jewish constituents and members of my chosen family. They shared their growing fears watching the rise of anti-Semitic hate. Their experiences are not just troubling, they are a call to action.

No Ontarian should live in fear, yet hate crimes have more than doubled since 2018, shaking the foundation of inclusivity and safety that every Ontarian deserves. The fear among Jewish Ontarians echoes the horrors and living memories of the Holocaust. From knowing what broken glass to graffiti of swastikas or echoes of the blood libel means, Jewish people have survived by recognizing anti-Semitism. Now this pain exists alongside a rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate that has all increased with the taking of hostages by Hamas and the bombing of Gaza.

Ontarians need compassionate leadership that heals wounds and fosters a province where everyone feels safe. Ontarians need more than words of solidarity; they need a funded and community-informed province-wide hate strategy to build deep social unity. This plan must include robust education to combat anti-Semitism and enhanced coordination between law enforcement to tackle actual hate crimes.

This Legislature must ask itself two questions: What can we do to effectively stop anti-Semitism and hate crimes in Ontario? And how can our divided communities start talking again and heal together?

Combatting anti-Semitism and all forms of hate requires everyone and every order of government to do their part. Let us rise to this challenge together.

I rise today to speak about the insidious grip of extremism in its various forms taking hold in Ontario. It casts a dangerous and hateful shadow upon the very fabric of our society: trans students bullied and assaulted at schools, Indian residential school and Holocaust deniers emboldened, Jewish-owned businesses and synagogues vandalized, Arabs wearing their keffiyehs targeted, women wearing hijabs harassed, and three generations of a London family murdered because they were Muslim by a driver radicalized by the dark web and extremely hateful rhetoric from ultra-conservative politicians.

White supremacy, with its vile ideologies, seeks to assert dominance, tearing apart the rich tapestry of our multicultural landscape. Transphobia and homophobia deny individuals the fundamental right to live authenticcally and without fear. Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia propagate hate and discrimination against religious communities, creating a climate of insecurity and prejudice.

We must combat these ideologies vehemently through legislative action, education and community engagement. Let us work together across party lines to eradicate extremism. Let us denounce and outlaw disinformation campaigns which breed misogyny, radicalization, white nationalism and domestic terrorism. Our actions today can ensure that unity and inclusivity prevail.