October 16, 2025
OTTAWA – In a recent filing to a Parliament committee, B’nai Brith Canada urged lawmakers to ensure that research grants are not used to subsidize extremist narratives that contribute to antisemitism.
“In the past, we have seen thousands of dollars given to projects that promote hateful and polarizing views of Israel, Jews and the Western world,” said Richard Robertson, Director of Research and Advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada. “The Federal Government has an opportunity to change that, and in turn, protect Jewish Canadians.”
B’nai Brith Canada’s Oct. 9, 2025, submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research (SRSR), which is conducting a “Study on the Impact of the Criteria for Awarding Funding on Research Excellence in Canada,” included two key recommendations:
- That the Capstone Research Funding Organization (CRFO), a Government institution created to centralize research funding distribution, require post-secondary institutions with which it or its agencies partner to attest that all projects using federal funds allocated under CRFO programs comply with Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, a long-term plan that includes efforts to combat antisemitism, as well as other forms of hate; and
- That Jewish people be added to the CRFO’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) policies and initiatives.
These recommendations build on B’nai Brith Canada’s submissions in fall and spring, 2024, which listed examples of projects that have run afoul of Canada’s efforts to combat racism and antisemitism.
“Hate should never be publicly funded,” B’nai Brith Canada’s latest submission concludes. “Canadian post-secondary institutions that participate in federal research grant programs must be held responsible for guaranteeing that federal funds are not allocated in violation of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy.”