New Brunswick Legislature
New Brunswick LegislatureiStock

The Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of New Brunswick on Thursday adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) Working Definition of anti-Semitism.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) welcomed the move.

"At a time of rising Jew-hatred, we thank and congratulate the New Brunswick legislature for adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism,” it said in a statement.

“The IHRA definition is the most widely accepted in the world today. Developed by consensus over decades by experts, it has been adopted by many jurisdictions around the world, including Canada. The IHRA definition is supported by the United Nations Secretary General and is the international gold standard for identifying contemporary Jew-hatred," added CIJA.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition offers a comprehensive description of anti-Semitism in its various forms, including hatred and discrimination against Jews, Holocaust denial and, sometimes controversially, the way anti-Semitism relates to the ways criticism of Israel is expressed.

The IHRA definition has been adopted by a host of countries, including Albania, Germany, Britain, Austria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, France, Cyprus and Argentina.

The government of Canada formally adopted IHRA definition of anti-Semitism in 2019 as part of its anti-racism strategy.

The Canadian province of Ontario adopted the IHRA definition this past October, becoming the first Canadian province to do so.

Several local municipalities in Canada have also adopted the definition. These include: The borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, located within the city of Montreal, the City of Barrie, which is located 85 kilometers (53 miles) north of Toronto, The York Regional Council, which represents several municipalities located north of Toronto, and the Montreal suburb of Westmount.