Canada's envoy against anti-Semitism resigns in 'sadness'

Canada's special envoy for preserving Holocaust memory and combating anti-Semitism, Deborah Lyons, announced her resignation "with great sadness" on Thursday.

"I have enjoyed this position very much, which has brought me many challenges, some deep disappointments, but also, in the end, real accomplishments that I am sure will help the Jewish community and Canada in the years to come," she said in a lengthy post on X.

She added in her message that "the last two years have been difficult," since the surprise attack by Hamas in Israel in October 2023.

Ms. Lyons did not detail the reasons that led her to resign.

Instead, she praises the work of the current Liberal government, which "has engaged in the fight against anti-Semitism with a vigor and passion not found in many other countries."

Ministers such as Steven Guilbeault and Anita Anand have praised Ms. Lyons' work on social media.

The career diplomat is leaving in a hurry; her term was originally scheduled to end this fall. She was appointed in October 2023, replacing Irwin Cotler, former Justice Minister under Paul Martin.

The position of special envoy on antisemitism was established in 2020 by Justin Trudeau's government.