Latest news with #DeborahLyons
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Canada's antisemitism envoy resigns, citing exhaustion amid hate surge
Antisemitism in Canada surged following Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, culminating in a record 920 hate crimes targeting Jews last year. The spike in incidents prompted Deborah Lyons, the country's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, to step down earlier this month, citing exhaustion from "waking up every day to a fight." Lyons told The Canadian Jewish News last week that the "job was one that tore at you physically and emotionally. I mean, I faced a lot of hate out there myself... a lot of nasty words and in some cases actions," she said. "I would say that during this period, these last two years, I've been really quite amazed and often become quite despondent and despairing about the fact that it was hard to get people to speak up, to speak with clarity, to speak with conviction about what we were seeing happening here on Canadian soil," she added. Irwin Cotler, a former Canadian Justice Minister and Lyons's predecessor as special envoy on antisemitism, told Fox News Digital that the "explosion" in Jew-hatred has been met not with broad condemnation, but with "silence, denial, acquiescence, support, and justification." "The government can't just virtue signal or be performative—it needs to act," Cotler said. "That's something Deborah had to contend with. She's a very loyal civil servant, and I'm sure it was difficult for her—disheartening even—to see the government not moving as quickly, effectively, or decisively as the mandate required." Although Jews make up less than one percent of Canada's population, 18.8% of all reported hate crimes in 2024 were motivated by antisemitism. Of the 1,342 religiously motivated hate crimes reported last year, 920—or 68.5%—targeted the Jewish community. "Since Special Envoy Lyons took office, we've seen a 124% increase in antisemitism," Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B'nai Brith Canada, told Fox News Digital. "The situation has become increasingly untenable for the community. And although some positive steps were taken by the federal government, not enough has been done to stem the tide—putting someone like the special envoy in a very tough position," he continued. "So it's understandable that she felt fatigued and disheartened by the current state of hate in Canada." Both Cotler and Robertson acknowledged key accomplishments by Lyons during her tenure, including the publication of a handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, produced by the envoy's office. According to Cotler, the resource is now being used internationally by governments for training police, prosecutors, law enforcement officials, and public servants. Lyons was also an important voice in the international coalition of special envoys for combating antisemitism, giving Canada a presence with global resonance, Cotler said. He also highlighted her success in building out the Office of the Special Envoy with a strong staff and dedicated budget—an institutional foundation that did not exist before. Lyons also helped organize the National Forum on Combating Antisemitism, held in March 2024 and co-chaired by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. The forum brought together leaders from all levels of government to address the growing public safety threat posed by Jew-hatred. "We need a whole-of-government approach," Robertson said. "That's why, immediately following the election of Mark Carney, we wrote to the prime minister and outlined key ministries that could be mandated to have an immediate impact on the crisis of antisemitism. This isn't something the special envoy can resolve alone—it requires coordinated government-wide effort." Noah Shack, CEO of the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), told Fox News Digital that when law enforcement or public institutions have directly confronted antisemitic protests, harassment, or intimidation, they quickly collapsed. "I think that's instructive—that when our public institutions take action to push back, it dissipates," he said. "We really need government, law enforcement, and broader society to recognize that we all have a duty to stand against this hate that is targeting the Jewish community right now, but also targeting our core values as Canadians. And if we fail to stand up, it will overtake our society and lead to a very dark future for all Canadians." Shack outlined three urgent actions he believes Canada can take to meaningfully address the issue. First, he emphasized the need to follow through on commitments to establish safety zones around places of worship, community centers, daycare centers, schools, and other sites where the Jewish community gathers. Second, he called for increased support for Jewish community security programs to protect these facilities from the violent threats they face. "We've had schools shot at, synagogues set on fire. This is a very concerning situation, and we need to ensure that the government is funding and integrating our community security programs at a level that exponentially improves safety," he said. Third, Shack emphasized the need to address the growing issue of radicalization seen on the streets and within public institutions. "Canada's anti-terrorism laws should be aligned with those of countries like the UK, where the glorification of terrorism and membership in a terror organization are criminal offenses," he said. Shack also cautioned against attempts to separate anti-Zionism from antisemitism, stating that the premise itself is flawed, and stressed that blaming Jews around the world for disagreements with Israeli government policies is equally hateful. "I don't represent the government of Israel; I represent myself as a Jewish person living here in Canada. Just like my friends, family, and colleagues who live in the U.S. are Jewish Americans, we deserve to be treated with the same respect and rights as any other Canadian or American citizen, period," he said.
National Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Casey Babb: Canada doesn't need an antisemitism or Islamophobia czar
On July 17, Deborah Lyons, Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, abruptly retired. Lyons, who served as Canada's ambassador to Israel from 2016 to 2020, came into this role in October 2023 — just a week after Palestinian terrorists carried out their barbaric attacks in Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking over 250 hostages. While she was expected to hold the position for another few months, until October 2025, she decided ' with a heavy heart,' to step down early. Article content Article content With the position now vacant, the time has come to permanently dissolve the post — as well as the position of Canada's special representative on combating Islamophobia. High paying jobs that don't lead to results are bad. Ones that continue to divide people are even worse. Article content Article content For nearly two years, as Canada's Jewish community has been gripped not only by the horrors of October 7 and its fallout, but by surging Jew-hatred from coast to coast, Lyons faced an arduous uphill battle. Still, despite unprecedented obstacles and criticism, she worked diligently to sound the alarm on antisemitism, to bring disparate communities together and — in whatever small ways she could — to mend the wounds of a grieving community that has been completely and utterly abandoned by the federal government. Lyons has said that 'every day' she was 'waking up to a fight,' that she had to deal with 'a lot of angry people … all the time,' often feeling 'despondent and despairing' over how reluctant Canadians were to speak up in support of the country's Jewish population. Of course, criticism of Lyons is understandable. While in her post to combat antisemitism, the situation for Jews in Canada has worsened precipitously. But for Lyons, many of the obstacles she encountered were systemically, institutionally, socially and culturally beyond her control or influence. Article content Article content One glaring issue that likely made Lyons' job more challenging, however, was what appeared to be the relentless counter-efforts made by Amira Elghawaby, Canada's special representative on combating Islamophobia. Article content Article content Rather than focusing on things like peace-building, reconciliation and creating a united front between Jews and Muslims to counter all forms of hatred and bigotry, Elghawaby spent (and continues to spend) most of her attention on things like 'anti-Palestinian racism,' vilifying the only Jewish country in the world (there are approximately 50 Muslim majority nations, by the way), and fuelling the fabricated belief among average Canadians that antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry run and exist on parallel tracks, when of course, they most certainly do not. Article content Further, while Lyons repeatedly acknowledged the hostages, the victims of October 7, including the eight Canadians murdered by Hamas, and condemned Hamas and other Islamic terrorist organizations, Elghawaby has — for the most part — acted as though October 7 didn't happen.
Vancouver Sun
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Antisemitism envoy says resignation prompted by frustration over 'not connecting' with anti-hate message
OTTAWA — Ottawa's outgoing envoy for tackling antisemitism is accusing Canada's business sector and civil society of failing to call out a rising tide of hate against Jews and other minorities. In an extensive interview with The Canadian Jewish News, Deborah Lyons also said she could not get a meeting with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during her nearly two-year term. In a statement sent to The Canadian Press, the Conservatives said that Lyons was 'powerless' in her job. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Lyons resigned early in her term as Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. She said her decision reflected her 'despair' over the growing gulf in society over violence in the Middle East and the failure of many Canadians to find common ground against hate. 'People were listening and hearing on different frequencies, and so we just were not connecting,' said Lyons. 'That was where the big despair comes from.' She said her work wasn't made any easier by the silence of corporate leaders 'whom I asked many times to stand up,' and by faith leaders who seemed to keep quiet on the suffering of people from other religions. 'I was incredibly disappointed with business leaders,' she said. 'We have a tendency to want to blame politicians all the time, but where have the faith leaders been? Where have the priests and ministers and rabbis and imams and so forth (been)?' Lyons said that some community leaders did ask for her help in finding the right words to speak out against hate — because they feared that they would offend one community if they stood up for another. 'I've been really quite amazed — and often become quite despondent and despairing — about the fact that it was hard to get people to speak up. To speak with clarity, to speak with conviction,' she said. 'The mark of a country is not the courage of its military. It is the courage of its bystanders.' The Canadian Press has requested an interview with Lyons but has not yet had a response. Lyons told The Canadian Jewish News that Amira Elghawaby, the federal government's special representative on combating Islamophobia, tried to work with Lyons on fighting hate, citing an apparently shelved plan to visit provincial education ministers together. 'Neither my community, nor her community, were happy all the time to see us in pictures together,' Lyons said. 'There were often people who just simply didn't want me participating in respectful dialogues, or wouldn't come into the room.' She said that indicates a 'weakening' in the ability of both Canadian society and the broader western world to stand for common human values. Lyons said she lacked the energy at times to bridge that gap. 'I held back from having some discussions, because I knew there was going to be animosity, or I wasn't going to be welcome in the room. It disappoints me,' she said. Lyons said she could not get a meeting with Poilievre despite requesting one and having a cordial chat with him during an event. 'I tried to meet with Mr. Poilievre when I was in the job, and in the end I got a response that he was too busy to meet with me,' she said. In a statement attributed to Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, the party did not dispute Lyons' version of events. 'While communities face increasing threats, vandalism, intimidation and violence over the last 20 months, the Liberals deflected responsibility to a powerless envoy,' says the statement. 'We are ready to meet with the government at any point, because they're the only ones with the power, the tools and the responsibility to do something — and they have done absolutely nothing to date.' Statistics Canada reported this week a slight increase in police-reported hate crimes in 2024 compared with a year prior, and a very slight drop in those against Jewish people, who remain the most targeted group in Canada. Lyons accused all three levels of government of failing to adequately co-ordinate their responses to hate, saying that issues like car theft or tariffs are seen as more tangible. She said Prime Minister Mark Carney seemed engaged and requested a meeting with her, though she added it was not possible to meet with him before the July 8 date of her departure. Lyons said she is leaving her job three months early not for health reasons but rather to restore 'a little bit of the joy back into life' through retirement. She said she would have liked to continue, but described the envoy role as more difficult than her stints as ambassador to Afghanistan and Israel. 'It was without question the toughest job I ever did.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Antisemitism envoy says resignation prompted by frustration over 'not connecting' with anti-hate message
Article content OTTAWA — Ottawa's outgoing envoy for tackling antisemitism is accusing Canada's business sector and civil society of failing to call out a rising tide of hate against Jews and other minorities. Article content In an extensive interview with The Canadian Jewish News, Deborah Lyons also said she could not get a meeting with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during her nearly two-year term. Article content Article content Article content In a statement sent to The Canadian Press, the Conservatives said that Lyons was 'powerless' in her job. Article content Article content Lyons resigned early in her term as Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. She said her decision reflected her 'despair' over the growing gulf in society over violence in the Middle East and the failure of many Canadians to find common ground against hate. Article content 'People were listening and hearing on different frequencies, and so we just were not connecting,' said Lyons. 'That was where the big despair comes from.' Article content She said her work wasn't made any easier by the silence of corporate leaders 'whom I asked many times to stand up,' and by faith leaders who seemed to keep quiet on the suffering of people from other religions. Article content 'I was incredibly disappointed with business leaders,' she said. Article content Article content 'We have a tendency to want to blame politicians all the time, but where have the faith leaders been? Where have the priests and ministers and rabbis and imams and so forth (been)?' Article content Lyons said that some community leaders did ask for her help in finding the right words to speak out against hate — because they feared that they would offend one community if they stood up for another. Article content 'I've been really quite amazed — and often become quite despondent and despairing — about the fact that it was hard to get people to speak up. To speak with clarity, to speak with conviction,' she said. Article content 'The mark of a country is not the courage of its military. It is the courage of its bystanders.' Article content The Canadian Press has requested an interview with Lyons but has not yet had a response. Article content Lyons told The Canadian Jewish News that Amira Elghawaby, the federal government's special representative on combating Islamophobia, tried to work with Lyons on fighting hate, citing an apparently shelved plan to visit provincial education ministers together.
National Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Antisemitism envoy says resignation prompted by frustration over 'not connecting' with anti-hate message
OTTAWA — Ottawa's outgoing envoy for tackling antisemitism is accusing Canada's business sector and civil society of failing to call out a rising tide of hate against Jews and other minorities. Article content In an extensive interview with The Canadian Jewish News, Deborah Lyons also said she could not get a meeting with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during her nearly two-year term. Article content Article content Article content In a statement sent to The Canadian Press, the Conservatives said that Lyons was 'powerless' in her job. Article content Article content Lyons resigned early in her term as Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. She said her decision reflected her 'despair' over the growing gulf in society over violence in the Middle East and the failure of many Canadians to find common ground against hate. Article content 'People were listening and hearing on different frequencies, and so we just were not connecting,' said Lyons. 'That was where the big despair comes from.' She said her work wasn't made any easier by the silence of corporate leaders 'whom I asked many times to stand up,' and by faith leaders who seemed to keep quiet on the suffering of people from other religions. Article content 'I was incredibly disappointed with business leaders,' she said. Article content 'We have a tendency to want to blame politicians all the time, but where have the faith leaders been? Where have the priests and ministers and rabbis and imams and so forth (been)?' Article content Article content Lyons said that some community leaders did ask for her help in finding the right words to speak out against hate — because they feared that they would offend one community if they stood up for another. Article content 'I've been really quite amazed — and often become quite despondent and despairing — about the fact that it was hard to get people to speak up. To speak with clarity, to speak with conviction,' she said. 'The mark of a country is not the courage of its military. It is the courage of its bystanders.' Article content The Canadian Press has requested an interview with Lyons but has not yet had a response. Article content Lyons told The Canadian Jewish News that Amira Elghawaby, the federal government's special representative on combating Islamophobia, tried to work with Lyons on fighting hate, citing an apparently shelved plan to visit provincial education ministers together. 'Neither my community, nor her community, were happy all the time to see us in pictures together,' Lyons said. 'There were often people who just simply didn't want me participating in respectful dialogues, or wouldn't come into the room.'
