Canada's Antisemitism Envoy Deborah Lyons Steps Down Three Months Early

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, said she is leaving her post three months before her mandate was due to expire this fall. Lyons announced the decision on 17 July, without giving a detailed explanation, saying only that she departs "with a heavy heart" and some disappointments. Lyons, a former Canadian ambassador who assumed the role in October 2023, cited progress in working with universities and police services to counter anti-Jewish hate but voiced concern about persistent divisions within Canadian society. Her tenure began days after the Israel-Hamas war erupted, an event that triggered large demonstrations and a reported rise in antisemitic incidents across the country. She is the second person to serve as antisemitism envoy, succeeding former attorney-general Irwin Cotler, who held the position from 2020 to 2023. The Prime Minister’s Office has not yet indicated how or when it will fill the vacancy.