Canada’s antisemitism envoy resigns abruptly: ‘It was hard to get people to speak up’

Deborah Lyons, the former antisemitism envoy for Canada, announced her departure from the role last Thursday. (Courtesy Government of Canada)

(JTA) — Canada’s envoy for combating antisemitism is leaving her job early, partly out of exhaustion from “waking up every day to a fight.”

Deborah Lyons had been serving as Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism since she took the job soon after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Her term was to end in three months.

In a post on X on Thursday announcing her departure, Lyons wrote that her tenure had brought her “many challenges, some profound disappointments, but also, ultimately, real achievements.”

“In recent years, it has been troubling to witness our lack of patience, our intolerance, and our inability to bridge the gap that separates us,” Lyons continued. “I know we are better than this, and although I am leaving my role as Special Envoy, I will continue the mission we all share, that of a united, compassionate, and inclusive Canada.”

Lyons was appointed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was unseated earlier this year. She was the second person to hold the post after former Attorney General Irwin Cotler, who served in the role from 2020 and 2023. Lyons, who is not Jewish, also served as Canada’s ambassador to Israel from 2016 and 2020.

In an interview with The Canadian Jewish News, Lyons explained that her departure was partially due to exhaustion.

“I would say that during this period, these last two years, 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 about what we were seeing happening here on Canadian soil,” she said.

Lyons’ exit comes as Canadian Jews have faced surging antisemitism since Oct. 7. In 2024, Jews remained the top target of hate crimes in Canada, with a total of 920 hate crimes being directed at Jews, according to data released this week by Statistics Canada.

Lyons also told the Canadian Jewish News that she was “very confident” that the Canadian government would fill her vacancy, adding that she had “talked about several different candidates” and that she hoped the next person to fill the role would be Jewish.

In a statement, Canadian Heritage told the Canadian public broadcaster CBC that Lyons’s replacement would 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.

In a post on X Thursday, the Canadian Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs thanked Lyons for her “leadership, partnership and deep friendship towards Canada’s Jewish community.”

“From championing Holocaust education to addressing the rise in antisemitism across Canada and abroad, she’s brought clarity, conviction and compassion to a critical mandate,” the statement continued.

Lyons’ departure means that both Canada and the United States do not have anyone in their antisemitism envoy roles. President Donald Trump has announced his pick for the role of antisemitism envoy, a Hasidic fixer named Yehuda Kaploun, but Congress has yet to schedule a confirmation hearing for the nominee nearly six months into his term.