Rights council seeks unity that Jewish, Muslim envoys couldn't achieve: Miller
The new council adds broader representation but drew criticism from Jewish groups and others who say Canada is weakening focused hate-response efforts.
- In February, Ottawa replaced standalone federal envoys for antisemitism and Islamophobia with a new 'advisory council on rights, equality and inclusion' composed of prominent academics, experts, and community leaders.
- Heritage Minister Marc Miller said Prime Minister Mark Carney conceived the council to address polarization, noting 'that fabric has been torn' by the COVID-19 pandemic and events in the Middle East.
- Following pushback from Black activists and Amnesty International regarding representation, the council added two members in late June, including retired judge Corrine Sparks, who is descended from Black settlers in Nova Scotia.
- The council held its first hybrid meeting on Tuesday, where Miller confirmed the current nine-person format is 'set for the next little while' with no immediate plans for expansion.
- Critics like Noah Shack, head of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, argue dialogue cannot stop threats to institutions, demanding 'concrete action' even as Parliament passed Bill C-9 last month to codify hatred definitions.
17 Articles
17 Articles
The Toronto Star
Rights council seeks unity that Jewish, Muslim envoys couldn’t achieve: Miller
OTTAWA - Heritage Minister Marc Miller says the government's widely criticized advisory council on inclusion is meant to unify Canadians in a way previous federal envoys tasked with tackling antisemitism
Winnipeg Free Press
Rights council seeks unity that Jewish, Muslim envoys couldn't achieve: Miller
OTTAWA - Heritage Minister Marc Miller says the government's widely criticized advisory council on inclusion is meant to unify Canadians in a way previous federal envoys tasked with tackling antisemitism and Islamophobia could not.
The Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Marc Miller, argues that the criticism of the Federal Government's Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion must aim at national unity, an objective that he believes has not been achieved by previous representatives to combat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
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