Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government will make the special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating anti-Semitism a permanent position and bolster the role with more resources.
Trudeau made the announcement on Wednesday during his virtual appearance at the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, reported Canadian Press.
“We need to attack directly the problem of anti-Semitism with increased urgency and focus all together because anti-Semitism isn’t a problem for the Jewish community to solve alone,” the prime minister told the forum. “It’s everyone’s challenge to take on, especially governments.”
Irwin Cotler, Canada’s former Justice minister and attorney general, was appointed to the position in November 2020.
In his remarks, Trudeau also reiterated Canada’s support of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism.
