Pete Hoekstra’s Message to Canada’s Jewish Community
U.S. Ambassador Speaks Out on Rising Antisemitism and Religious Freedom in Canada
In an exclusive interview with me last month, I asked U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra about the rise of antisemitism in Canada.
Statistics Canada reported a 178% increase in police-reported hate crimes targeting Jewish people between 2020 and 2024. Jewish Canadians make up just 0.9% of the population, yet they are the victims of roughly 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes.
Furthermore, at least 132 churches have been burned down or vandalized since 2021 amid a noticeable rise in anti-Christian bigotry.
Here’s what Ambassador Hoekstra had to say:
“It is a serious, serious issue. We have some of the same trends developing, to a lesser extent, in the United States, but we’re very, very concerned about them.”
“We do everything that we can to stand alongside our friends in the Christian community, but also, especially importantly, our friends in the Jewish community. The first ambassador I invited to the residence to meet with me when we took our posting was the Israeli ambassador. We wanted to send a message to the Israeli ambassador and the Jewish people: there’s no space between us and you. We will defend your rights as much as we can.”
“It’s religious freedom for everybody. It’s embedded in the American DNA that religious freedom and freedom of speech are absolutely essential to who we are, and we will stand for those values wherever there’s a U.S. embassy.”
The interview was published on June 16, 2026. You can watch the full interview by clicking here.