Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today the appointment of diplomat Debra Lyons as Canada's new special envoy for Holocaust remembrance and combating anti-Semitism.

This announcement was scheduled before the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7.

However, this bloody attack, which resulted in over 1,300 deaths, "reminds the rest of the world that anti-Semitism is not a relic of the past but a reality faced by Jewish communities here in Canada and around the world," said Trudeau's office in a press release.

Lyons will hold her new position for two years, succeeding former Federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler.

"Ms. Lyons is a respected diplomat with 25 years of experience in international relations, political affairs, security management, and development, and she previously served as Canada's ambassador to Israel," said the Prime Minister's office.

From 2020 to 2022, Lyons served as the special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Afghanistan and as head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in that country.

According to Trudeau, Lyons' appointment to her new position will also help educate "young generations (...) so they know the truth of what happened and understand that anti-Semitism continues to this day."

In the press conference announcing her appointment, Lyons, who is not Jewish, said she is honored to take on her new role, affirming that she is "more determined than ever to combat anti-Semitism," especially following the recent Hamas attacks on Israel.

"There is only one way to achieve this, and that is to unite as Canadians in our shared humanity, as we have always done," Lyons added.

Moreover, according to the latest data released by Statistics Canada for the year 2021, the Jewish community in Canada experienced 437 hate crime incidents. This makes Jews in Canada the group most targeted for hate crimes, despite representing only 0.9% of the population.

It is noteworthy that Trudeau announced in January 2023 the appointment of a special representative to combat Islamophobia in Canada, a first of its kind, and entrusted this position to human rights advocate Amira Elghawabi.