Who We Are
Fighting Antisemitism Together
2004 was the worst year in more than half a century for antisemitic activity in Canada, with 857 reported incidents. Tony Comper, former CEO and President of BMO Financial Group, and his wife Elizabeth decided to act. They believed that the crisis was one for non-Jews in the community to solve, and that education was the solution.
Established with a coalition of non-Jewish business leaders in 2005, FAST is dedicated to speaking out against all intolerance, with antisemitism as a specific manifestation of it.
In 2005, FAST launched its first education program, Choose Your Voice, geared towards middle school children. Developed with the Canadian Jewish Congress and educators, and evaluated to meet the curriculum requirements of each province, the program has reached more than 2.4 million students in every province and territory.
Ten years later, FAST launched a second education resource, Voices into Action, to teach high school students about the importance of social justice and taking action. Since then, interest in the program has grown, with educators at a broad range of community groups, including religious organizations, correctional institutions and New Canadian support groups, signing on to help adults recognize intolerance and make a commitment to change.
FAST Co-founder Tony Comper
In 2015, Tony Comper sat down with Paul Bagnell of Business News Network’s The Street to talk about the inspiration for FAST and how it has evolved over the years.
Canadian Institute for the Study of Antisemitism (CISA)
CISA is an academic institute dedicated to producing scholarship and education on the subject of antisemitism. Our journal Antisemitism Studies, edited by CISA’s director, Dr. Catherine Chatterley, is published by Indiana University Press and is available in over 3,000 universities and colleges worldwide. In 2020, CISA established an affiliation with FAST Fighting Antisemitism Together to work together to provide Canadian teachers and students with a high-quality online curriculum on human rights.
Dr. Catherine Chatterley is a historian of modern Europe, trained at the University of Chicago. She is Editor-in-Chief of Antisemitism Studies and the Founding Director of the Canadian Institute for the Study of Antisemitism (CISA). For 16 years she taught European and Jewish history at the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. In 2020, Dr. Chatterley became President and Chair of FAST Fighting Antisemitism Together.
“Why we must speak out”
FAST officially launched in 2005 with a full-page ad in the Globe and Mail. It included a statement of commitment and list of supporters – all prominent Canadian business and community leaders.
Remembering Elizabeth Comper
Elizabeth devoted her life to fighting for the causes she believed in.
FAST Founders
Elizabeth Comper
Tony Comper
Former President and CEO
BMO Financial Group
Original Supporters in 2005
A. Charles Baillie
Retired Chairman and CEO
TD Bank Financial Group
Chancellor
Queen’s University
Laurent Beaudoin
Chairman of the Board and CEO
Bombardier Inc.
John M. Cassaday
President and CEO
Corus Entertainment Inc.
Anne and John Clark
Ed Clark
President and CEO
TD Bank Financial Group
Lionel F. Conacher
President and CEO
Westwind Partners Inc.
Richard J. Currie
Chancellor
University of New Brunswick
Dominic D’Alessandro
President and CEO
Manulife Financial
Joan T. Dea
EVP, Head of Strategic Management
BMO Financial Group
André Desmarais
President & Co-Chief Executive Officer
Power Corporation of Canada
Thomas A. Di Giacomo
President
Tadico Ltd.
Ron Farmer
Managing Director
Mosaic Capital Partners
Dan Fortin
President
IBM Canada Ltd.
Robert J. Foster
President and CEO
Capital Canada Limited
Judy Galloway and
David A. Galloway
Chairman
BMO Financial Group
Peter C. Godsoe
Retired Chairman and CEO
Scotiabank Group
Scott M. Hand
Former Chairman and CEO
Inco Limited
E. Hunter Harrison
President and CEO
CN
Linda Haynes and Martin Connell
Haynes Connell Foundation
Timothy J. Hearn
Chairman, President and CEO
Imperial Oil Limited
John Hunkin
Former CEO
CIBC
Joseph Iannicelli
President and CEO
Standard Life
Aris Kaplanis
President and CEO
Teranet
Morris Klid
President
Cyberbahn Inc.
Daniel Labrecque
President and CEO
N M Rothschild & Sons Canada Limited
Trisha A. Langley
The Angelworks, Toronto
Kathryn E. Langley Hope
K E Hope Consultants, Toronto
Claude Lessard
Chairman of the Board and CEO
Cossette Communication Group
Libby MacAulay and J. Blair MacAulay
of Counsel,
Fraser Milner Casgrain and
Honorary Director
BMO Financial Group
Bill MacKinnon
CEO
KPMG LLP
Michael H. McCain
President and CEO
Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
C. Sanford McFarlane (1943-2006)
Vice-Chairman
Davis + Henderson
Mark R. McQueen
President and CEO
Wellington Financial LP
The Honourable Michael A. Meighen and Mrs. Kelly Meighen
Robert A. Milton
Chairman
Air Canada
Bruce H. Mitchell
President and CEO
Permian Industries Limited
Gordon M. Nixon
President and CEO
RBC Financial Group
Philip S. Orsino
Corporate Director
Rose M. Patten
Senior Executive Vice-President
Human Resources
BMO Financial Group
Courtney Pratt
Chairman
Stelco Inc.
Réal Raymond
President and CEO
National Bank
Glenn Rice
President
UPS Canada
Michael J. Sabia
President and CEO
Bell Canada Enterprises
Antoinette and Joseph Sorbara
Donald A. Stewart
CEO
Sun Life Financial
Marc P. Tellier
President & CEO
Yellow Pages Group
Rick Waugh
President and CEO
Scotiabank Group
W. Galen Weston
Chairman and President
George Weston Limited
Andrea R. Whiting
Vice-President and
H.R. Business Partner
BMO Financial Group
Torrance Wylie
Vice-Chairman
Global Public Affairs