“My appointment to this role comes, as you all know, at the most critical point and time. I could not have imagined the brutality of the Hamas attack on Israelis, nor the antisemitism across the globe that followed these horrific attacks,” Ms. Lyons told an audience in Ottawa on Oct. 16.
“After the recent events, therefore, I stand before you even more committed to preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. And know that although we might each feel alone in this pain and misery and we might wonder about the way forward, know that there is only one pathway, ... and that is for all Canadians to come together.”
Ms. Lyons said that in her new role, she will work with communities across Canada, including universities, to promote and support “extensive efforts” on antisemitism education. She will also work to highlight the “many magnificent contributions” of Canada’s Jewish community.
‘Shadow’ of Hamas Attack
Irwin Cotler, who was Canada’s first appointee to this special envoy position back in November 2020, told the audience that he was “delighted” Ms. Lyons is taking over the role. He said that given her past experience as Canada’s ambassador to Israel, she had been on the “front lines.”“I could not be happier because I’ve been trying for 18 months to have Deborah Lyons take over. She is the best person, not only to succeed me, but the best person to be in this role, to be in this position of leadership. The right person in the right place at the right time,” he said.
Mr. Cotler said Ms. Lyons’s appointment was especially important in the “shadow” of the events of Oct. 7, which he called “one of the worst days, if not the worst day, in Jewish history since the Holocaust.”
Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs Pam Damoff told the audience that in each of her roles, Ms. Lyons had demonstrated a “deep commitment to the values that we as Canadians hold dear.”
The IHRA is an intergovernmental organization of 35 countries dedicated to supporting Holocaust education, research, and remembrance in member countries and around the world. Canada became a full member of the IHRA in 2009.
Ms. Damoff added that the “unacceptable rise in antisemitism,” Holocaust distortion and denial, and accompanying conspiracy theories around the world are eroding trust in institutions and that the Canadian government is “extremely concerned.”
“We know all too well that this can lead to violence. And let me be clear, no person or group should ever be subjected to hatred, discrimination, or prejudice,” she said.
