A Canary’s Song: Antisemitism in Our Free and Democratic Society, held on September 15, 2026, at the University of Toronto, brought together leading scholars, legal experts, policymakers, journalists and community leaders to examine the rise of antisemitism and its implications for Canadian society. Presented by Professor Peter Biro and supported by the Azrieli Foundation and other foundations, the conference explored how antisemitism and anti-Zionism are manifesting across academia, public institutions and civil society and what these trends reveal about the health of liberal democracy.
The program featured a distinguished lineup of speakers, including The Honourable Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, renowned historian and former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism; Deborah Lyons, former Canadian Ambassador to Israel and former Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism; Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa; and author, journalist and human rights activist Raheel Raza.
Through keynote addresses and panel discussions, the conference explored the contemporary drivers of antisemitism, challenges facing democratic institutions and the importance of fostering moral clarity and civic resilience. A central theme throughout the day was that rising antisemitism serves as an early warning sign of broader societal fractures, underscoring the need for education, thoughtful dialogue and collective action.
