Elham Asaad Buaras
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) has criticised the Canadian government’s decision to dissolve the Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia and a parallel office addressing antisemitism, warning that the move risks weakening efforts to confront rising hate.
The criticism followed an announcement by Ottawa on February 4 that the two roles would be folded into a newly established Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion.
In a statement, the NCCM said it was “deeply disappointed” by the decision, noting that the Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia was created in the aftermath of the 2021 terrorist attack in London, Ontario, in which four members of a Muslim family were killed.
The organisation said that, despite the establishment of the office, Islamophobia has continued to rise across the country and stressed that the Canadian Muslim community requires sustained and dedicated leadership. It also expressed concern over the dissolution of the Office on Combating Antisemitism “at a time when hate is on the rise”.
NCCM Chief Executive, Stephen Brown, paid tribute to Canada’s outgoing first special representative on combating Islamophobia, saying: “We extend our sincere thanks to Amira Elghawaby for her exemplary and tireless service and advocacy for our community.”
While acknowledging the creation of the new advisory body, the organisation said it would continue to scrutinise the government’s approach. It said that although an Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion was being created in place of the two offices, it would continue its work on combatting Islamophobia.
Canada’s Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, Marc Miller, said the roles would be integrated into a broader framework aimed at national cohesion. Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, he said the move was “about folding in those two positions into a new committee on national unity and an advisory committee on rights, equity and inclusion”.
Miller said the former offices had played an important role in identifying hate-related issues, adding that “those two roles, I think, played an important part in identifying these issues that have become, in the case of Islamophobia and antisemitism, quite polarized, in part, because of what we’ve seen in the war in Gaza.”
He rejected suggestions that the decision was driven by budgetary considerations, saying: “This isn’t a cost-saving operation. It is about making sure that we have an advisory council that will report to me and the prime minister.”
In a separate statement, the government said the newly created Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion would be responsible for fostering social cohesion, combatting racism and hate, and advising the minister under the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. Its membership is expected to be announced later.
Feature photo: Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s outgoing Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, speaks at Carleton University in Ottawa in September 2023. Her office is set to be dissolved and merged into a new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, a move criticised by the National Council of Canadian Muslims for potentially weakening efforts against rising hate.(Credit: Mert Alper Dervış/AA)
