OTTAWA – Newly disclosed federal documents show that Canada’s Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, used her taxpayer-funded office to advocate for Palestinian issues and to lobby officials about B’nai Brith Canada.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the heavily censored Access-to-Information records reveal that Elghawaby encouraged federal employees to “speak out on Palestinian issues” and privately pressed her department over an anonymous complaint involving the Jewish advocacy organization.
Elghawaby, appointed in 2023 with a $191,300 annual salary, was mandated to advise the federal government on combating Islamophobia. However, the documents show that her correspondence and internal notes went beyond her portfolio, including remarks that “racism takes various forms, including failing to acknowledge Palestinians as an Indigenous people.”
The records further indicate she used her office’s communication channels to urge the Muslim Federal Employees Network to issue public statements supporting Palestinians. In another instance, she pushed staff within Canadian Heritage to respond to a complaint directed at B’nai Brith Canada, one of Canada’s oldest Jewish advocacy organizations.
Critics argue that these actions raise concerns about the neutrality of her office and whether her conduct aligns with the public service’s requirement for non-partisanship. Some Jewish community leaders have also questioned whether her advocacy blurred the line between anti-racism work and political activism.
“Using a government platform to promote one side of a complex foreign issue risks undermining the credibility of her office,” said a former federal policy adviser familiar with the file.
B’nai Brith Canada, which frequently consults with the government on hate crime issues, has not yet commented on the disclosures. The organization has historically clashed with activists who frame Israel in colonial or apartheid terms, arguing that such rhetoric fuels antisemitism rather than combating racism.
Supporters of Elghawaby maintain that her efforts are consistent with her broader mandate to combat hate and discrimination, noting that she has sought collaboration with other federal envoys, including Deborah Lyons, the former Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. Lyons previously said Elghawaby “tried to work with me on fighting hate,” though she acknowledged that “neither community was happy to see us in pictures together.”
The Department of Canadian Heritage, which oversees Elghawaby’s office, has not stated the revelations. The opposition Conservatives have called for greater accountability and a review of whether the Islamophobia envoy’s activities remain within her official mandate.
Elghawaby has previously drawn criticism for public statements viewed as divisive. Following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, she warned against labeling protesters “as antisemitic or terrorists,” prompting backlash from Jewish organizations.
The Access-to-Information records add to growing questions about the scope and oversight of Canada’s special envoy positions, particularly when their mandates intersect with politically sensitive issues involving Israel and the Jewish community.
This article is based on verified information from Blacklock’s Reporter and The Canadian Press.