Ottawa Replaces Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia Envoy Roles With Inclusion Advisory Council

The Liberal government is dissolving the roles of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia envoys, and creating a new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion to “combat racism and hate” instead.

Culture Minister Marc Miller says the two envoy roles will be merged into the new advisory council, which he said will be more broad in focusing on national unity, while still recognizing anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

“It’s about folding in those two positions into a new committee on national unity—an Advisory Committee on Rights, Equity and Inclusion,” Miller told reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 4.

“The prime minister and I, including all of cabinet, and I suspect all MPs, know exactly what’s going on and how divided we’ve become. The prime minister is concerned about the next steps.”

He said the anti-Semitism and Islamophobia envoy roles “played an important part in identifying these issues that have become … quite polarized.” He said the next step forward is to create the “national unity committee.”

The advisory council will be made up of “prominent Canadians from academia as well as experts and community leaders,” Canada Heritage said in a Feb. 4 news release. The council will aim to “foster social cohesion, rally Canadians around shared identity, combat racism and hate in all their forms, and help guide the efforts of the Government of Canada.”

The department said the advisory council’s composition will be announced “at a later date.”

Miller told reporters that the decision “isn’t a cost-saving operation.” He said the council will report to him and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The government has not had an anti-Semitism envoy since Deborah Lyons left the role in July. She had served in the position since she was appointed in October 2023 by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She didn’t explain why she left, saying in a July 17 social media post that she was leaving the position “with a heavy heart.” She noted the position brought “so many challenges” and “some deep disappointments,” while also pointing to achievements in the role.

Trudeau appointed Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s first-ever Islamophobia envoy in 2023.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet welcomed the Liberal government’s decision to dissolve the two envoys, adding that there is still a “great deal of work to be done.”

“Now, the Liberals must adopt our bill or amendment to end the religious exception in matters of hate and incitement to violence,” Blanchet wrote in a Feb. 4 post on X.

The Bloc has in the past criticized Elghawaby for her remarks on Quebec and her opposition to the province’s legislation banning certain government employees from wearing religious symbols at work.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) reacted negatively to the government’s Feb. 4 announcement about the new advisory council, saying it is “deeply disappointed” by the decision to dissolve the office of the Islamophobia envoy.

“This office came to light after a terrorist attack that took the lives of four members of a London family,” the NCCM said in a Feb. 4 post on X. “Since then, we’ve continued to see the rise of Islamophobia across Canada. The Canadian Muslim community deserves sustained and dedicated leadership. We are similarly concerned by the dissolution of the Office on Combating Antisemitism, at a time when hate is on the rise.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) released a Feb. 4 statement acknowledging the “important work” led by Lyons and former anti-Semitism envoy Irwin Cotler.

CIJA CEO Noah Shack said anti-Semitism and extremism are “continuing to surge” across Canada, and leadership from the federal government, in coordination with all other levels of government, is needed to combat the issue.

“We expect immediate concrete action on solutions that the Jewish community has long advocated for, including support for security and addressing the sources of hate,” Shack said in the statement. “It is crucial that the government’s new approach and the composition of the advisory council are designed to achieve meaningful outcomes in combatting the unprecedented wave of antisemitism and extremism in Canada,” he added.

The Bloc said on Dec. 1 it had reached an agreement with the Liberals to pass its amendment to remove the religious defence to hate speech in the Criminal Code. However, later that week the Bloc said the Liberals were pulling out of the deal because of pressure from religious communities. The amendment is opposed by the Conservatives, who say it suppresses religious freedom.

Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.