Latest news with #HolocaustRemembrance
National Post
2 days ago
- 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.'
CBC
18-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Canada's envoy for combatting antisemitism leaving post early
Canada's special official for fighting antisemitism announced on Thursday that she is retiring her post, three months before the end of her term. Deborah Lyons served as Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism since October 2023, and was set to serve until this October. In a social media post announcing her departure, she did not explain why she is leaving before then. Lyons did say that she is leaving "with a heavy heart" and with some deep disappointments while also pointing to achievements, including work with institutions like universities to improve understanding of anti-Jewish hate. She said her office fought antisemitism "with a vigour and passion not seen in many other countries," and yet she leaves with concern over Canadians who feel they must pick a side when it comes to defending humanity. "Support to one community should never mean, or be interpreted as, minimizing another community. Our value of inclusivity has at its core our ability to hold the concerns of multiple communities in our hearts and minds," Lyons wrote. "It was troubling in the last few years to see our lack of patience, lack of tolerance and inability to reach out across the gulf to one another." Lyons took up the role just days after the start of the Israel-Hamas war that prompted large protests across Canada, which triggered a spike in hate crimes targeting Muslims and especially Jews. She says her office managed to "counter the negative imagery of Canada's struggle with antisemitism that followed October 2023." She says there must be "seamless co-operation amongst the three levels of government to combat hate" and joint efforts from business, education and faith sectors. WATCH | Lyons speaks with Rosemary Barton Live in 2023: Communities are seeing a lot of emotion and anger, says Canada's new special envoy on antisemitism 2 years ago Rosemary Barton speaks with Deborah Lyons, Canada's new special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, about the rise in antisemitic incidents across Canada and why leaders and schools need to do more to combat hate. "This is an issue right across the country," said Lyons. On Monday, Lyons took the unconventional step of releasing a report about issues that fall squarely into provincial jurisdiction, urging Ontario school boards to take seriously incidents of anti-Jewish bigotry targeting students, after she commissioned a survey of Jewish parents with children in the province's schools. Lyons was the second person to hold the post of antisemitism envoy, following former attorney general Irwin Cotler, who filled the role between 2020 and 2023. She is not Jewish, but served as Canada's ambassador to Israel between 2016 and 2020. In a statement, Canadian Heritage said Lyons's replacement will be appointed "in due course." "The special envoy is retiring to spend more time with her family after reaching the milestone of turning 75 and a distinguished career in the public service," the statement said. Her departure prompted messages of support from Jewish advocates.
National Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Avi Benlolo: Ontario teachers shouldn't tolerate the bullying of Jewish students
Article content If our nation's history matters — if we have learned anything from the painful legacy of 'None is too many' — then this is a consequential moment to refuse the role of bystander. It is a moment to stand up, to speak out, and to join me in this fight. Article content What is at stake is nothing less than the fabric of our nation. For those who still remember children playing hockey on quiet streets, neighbours helping neighbours push cars from snowbanks or the simple kindness of a helping hand — for anyone who longs for the Canada where downtown cores were alive with laughter on a weekend afternoon, where school assemblies echoed with songs like Kumbaya, and where playground slides weren't defaced with hateful graffiti — this is the Canada we must fight to bring back. This is the Canada we must defend. Article content The Abraham Global Peace Initiative has been sounding the alarm. We have taken this issue directly to Ontario's Ministry of Education, urging zero-tolerance policies and accountability for school boards that fail to protect Jewish students. We are advancing a national proposal for a security task force dedicated to confronting antisemitism head-on. We are calling for an immediate public inquiry, and for the education system to move beyond Holocaust remembrance to confront modern-day anti-Jewish hate. Article content Article content We are also calling on governments to enforce consequences for educators who engage in or ignore antisemitic acts. Jewish students must not be forced to remove their symbols, hide their identity or transfer schools out of fear. Our laws already prohibit hate speech, but we must ensure they are applied with the full weight of justice in every classroom and corridor. Article content There are no neutral bystanders in the fight against hate. Article content We must be the people of the moment. Let us stand now, together, and say never again — and this time, mean it. Article content
Vancouver Sun
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Canada's envoy for combatting antisemitism Deborah Lyons leaving post early
Canada's special official for fighting antisemitism announced on Thursday that she is retiring her post, three months before the end of her term. Deborah Lyons served as Canada's Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism since October 2023, and was set to serve until this October. In a social media post announcing her departure she did not explain why she is leaving before then. Lyons did say that she is leaving 'with a heavy heart' and with some deep disappointments while also pointing to achievements including work with institutions like universities and polices to improve understanding of anti-Jewish hate. 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. She said her office fought antisemitism 'with a vigour and passion not seen in many other countries,' and yet she leaves with concern over Canadians who feel they must pick a side when it comes to defending humanity. 'Support to one community should never mean, or be interpreted as, minimizing another community. Our value of inclusivity has at its core our ability to hold the concerns of multiple communities, in our hearts and minds,' Lyons wrote. 'It was troubling in the last few years to see our lack of patience, lack of tolerance, and inability to reach out across the gulf to one another.' She says there must be 'seamless co-operation amongst the three levels of government to combat hate' and joint efforts from business, education and faith sectors. On Monday, Lyons took the unconventional step of releasing a report about issues that fall squarely into provincial jurisdiction, urging Ontario school boards to take seriously incidents of anti-Jewish bigotry targeting students, after she commissioned a survey of Jewish parents with children in the province's schools. Lyons was the second person to hold the post of antisemitism envoy, following former attorney general Irwin Cotler who filled the role between 2020 and 2023. She is not Jewish, but served as Canada's ambassador to Israel between 2016 and 2020. Global Affairs Canada has not yet replied to questions about when Lyons' replacement will be appointed. Lyons' departure prompted messages of support from Jewish advocates. 'She's brought clarity, conviction and compassion to a critical mandate,' the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs wrote in a statement. 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
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Canada's envoy for combatting antisemitism Deborah Lyons leaving post early
Article content Canada's special official for fighting antisemitism announced on Thursday that she is retiring her post, three months before the end of her term. Article content Deborah Lyons served as Canada's Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism since October 2023, and was set to serve until this October. In a social media post announcing her departure she did not explain why she is leaving before then. Article content Article content Article content Lyons did say that she is leaving 'with a heavy heart' and with some deep disappointments while also pointing to achievements including work with institutions like universities and polices to improve understanding of anti-Jewish hate. Article content Article content She said her office fought antisemitism 'with a vigour and passion not seen in many other countries,' and yet she leaves with concern over Canadians who feel they must pick a side when it comes to defending humanity. Article content 'Support to one community should never mean, or be interpreted as, minimizing another community. Our value of inclusivity has at its core our ability to hold the concerns of multiple communities, in our hearts and minds,' Lyons wrote. Article content 'It was troubling in the last few years to see our lack of patience, lack of tolerance, and inability to reach out across the gulf to one another.' Article content She says there must be 'seamless co-operation amongst the three levels of government to combat hate' and joint efforts from business, education and faith sectors. Article content Article content On Monday, Lyons took the unconventional step of releasing a report about issues that fall squarely into provincial jurisdiction, urging Ontario school boards to take seriously incidents of anti-Jewish bigotry targeting students, after she commissioned a survey of Jewish parents with children in the province's schools. Article content Lyons was the second person to hold the post of antisemitism envoy, following former attorney general Irwin Cotler who filled the role between 2020 and 2023. She is not Jewish, but served as Canada's ambassador to Israel between 2016 and 2020. Article content Global Affairs Canada has not yet replied to questions about when Lyons' replacement will be appointed. Article content Lyons' departure prompted messages of support from Jewish advocates. Article content 'She's brought clarity, conviction and compassion to a critical mandate,' the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs wrote in a statement.
