Antisemitism in Canada: History and Interpretation

Greg Turko is a policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and
Universities.

Anti-Semitism has had a long and unpleasant history in Canada, dating
back to the earliest settlements. This book of 11 essays begins with
pre-Confederation Canada and ends with the relatively recent trials of
Ernst Zьndel and James Keegstra. Though for the most part the essays
are well written and informative, some of the more interpretive ones
seem to be more concerned with making political statements than with
analyzing Canadian anti-Semitism. Other essays show a lack of focus; it
is not readily apparent, for example, why the Qu’Appelle Progress is
extensively cited in a discussion of anti-Semitism in the Western
Canadian press. Nevertheless, this book does offer a number of insights
on the history, nature, and dreary tenacity of anti-Semitism in Canada.
In doing so, it is an effective guard against the complacent and
self-congratulatory view of Canada as a land of unequivocal tolerance.