Chair of Carney’s new faith advisory council defends its mandate and membership
Chair of Carney’s new faith advisory council defends its mandate and membership
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2258694/chair-of-carneys-new-faith-advisory-council-defends-its-mandate-and-membership
Publish Date: 2026-06-02 17:07:00
Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller is defending the makeup and initial mandate of a faith advisory council Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Monday, as it faces criticism from Opposition Conservatives and Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith.
Part of this committee is to talk in a way that is open and frank and to tackle issues with a group of people that have spent a good deal of their career being subject to various forms of hate or have been incredible advocates in the field, Miller said to journalists on his way to a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.
Coming together in a way that isn’t polarizing, I think, is the first step.
Carney named former senator Marc Gold, also a previous chair of the Jewish Federations of Canada, as part of the council, in a speech at a Toronto synagogue on Monday (new window). There, he also said Canada’s civic compact has failed the country’s Jewish community, called antisemitism a scourge and tasked the newly struck group with an initial mandate to look into the drivers of anti-Jewish hatred.
WATCH | Carney’s antisemitism speech at a Toronto synagogue:
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Antisemitism in Canada has surged to new highs in post-war period, Carney says
Prime Minister Mark Carney said ‘Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,’ in a speech on combatting antisemitism and hate on Monday at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple. ‘If that covenant fails one of our communities, it fails us all,’ Carney said.
Some of the remaining names on the council were released in a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, though with no mention of their background or credentials.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the make-up of the council.
Photo: La Presse canadienne / Justin Tang
They are:
- Former Canadian Armed Forces member Martine Roy, a key plaintiff in a successful class-action suit against the federal government that won damages for members of the…
