Toronto, ON — June 26, 2026 — Over the past two years, Canadians have witnessed an explosive rise in extremist rhetoric, ideological radicalization, and politically motivated violence, along with an unprecedented rise in antisemitism. As concerns about public safety have grown, and as they are covered in the media, so too have questions about how governments balance humanitarian objectives with security considerations.
At HR Canada Charitable Organization, our mission is to advance education and increase understanding of antisemitism, discrimination, and social intolerance through research, data collection, and public education. As part of that work, we commissioned Leger to conduct a national survey examining Canadians’ views on the Government of Canada’s recent decision to expedite security screening and visa processing for certain students from Gaza.
Specifically, the survey asked Canadians to consider their views on whether expediting the process could make it more difficult to identify potential security risks, including screening individuals with extremist affiliations.
The survey was conducted between June 19 and June 22, 2026, among a representative sample of 1,528 Canadian adults.
The results reveal significant public concern for expediting Gazan student visa processing due to the inherent security risks of allowing radicalized Palestinians into the country.
When asked whether they support or oppose the government’s plan to accelerate visa processing for students from Gaza, nearly half (43%) of Canadians opposed the policy, with another 19% unsure.
According to polling conducted inside Gaza, as many as three-fourths of the population there say they support the massacres committed by Palestinian terrorists on October 7, 2023, which saw 1,200 people murdered, raped and tortured, with another 251 people kidnapped from southern Israel.
Gaza is one of the most radicalized populations on Earth and run by the Hamas terrorist group. Consequently, giving an exemption for biometric screenings to anyone or applying lax security screening standards – particularly from a population which widely embraces Islamic terrorism – raises serious concerns for broader public safety in Canada.
For many Jewish Canadians, these concerns are informed by lived experience, however these findings suggest that concerns about security screening are not limited to the Jewish community. Since October 7, communities across the country have faced a dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents, intimidation, and extremist rhetoric. Against that backdrop, questions about security screening, public safety, and the government’s ability to identify potential risks have become matters of genuine concern.
Public attitudes do not develop in isolation. They are shaped by the information Canadians receive through news media, public discourse, and political debate. Understanding how Canadians perceive issues relating to security, extremism, and humanitarian policy provides important context for examining how media narratives influence public understanding of issues that intersect with antisemitism, discrimination, and social cohesion.
The purpose of this research is not to tell Canadians what they should think. Rather, it is to help illuminate what Canadians do think, and to contribute to a more informed discussion about the complex issues affecting Canadian society. Understanding public attitudes toward security, extremism, and social cohesion is an important part of understanding the environment in which antisemitism and other forms of intolerance emerge and evolve.
At HR Canada Charitable Organization, we remain committed to producing evidence-based research that informs public understanding and supports meaningful conversations about antisemitism, discrimination, and social cohesion in Canada.
Media Contact
Amanda Eskenasi
Director of Education, HR Canada Charitable Organization
amanda@hrccharitable.ca
