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Canada Replaces Antisemitism and Islamophobia Envoys With National Rights Council

Community groups are demanding guarantees that targeted work on antisemitism or Islamophobia will not be diluted.

:People attend Canada's Rally for The Jewish People at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 4, 2023. (Shawn Goldberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Amira Elghawaby was appointed as Canada's first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia in 2023.

Overview

  • Minister Marc Miller announced a new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion that will advise on social cohesion, combatting hate and national unity, with members to be drawn from academia, experts and community leaders.
  • The council will report to Miller and the prime minister, and the government says the move is not a cost‑saving measure.
  • Membership and mandate details have not been released, and it remains unclear whether Amira Elghawaby, the current Islamophobia representative, will be included.
  • Advocacy groups including NCCM, CIJA and B’nai Brith criticized the shift and called for concrete actions such as security support and use of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
  • The antisemitism envoy post has been vacant since Deborah Lyons resigned in July 2025, and former envoy Irwin Cotler urged the government to reverse course, warning the change could leave Jews less safe.