February 4th, 2026, Oakville – The Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council (CMPAC) expresses serious concern regarding the federal government’s decision to eliminate the position of Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia held by Amira Elghawaby.
Addressing islamophobia requires sustained expertise and institutional memory. Dissolving an office that had developed experience, policy insight and relationships across government and civil society undermines the capacity building required to confront islamophobia effectively. The Special Representative’s mandate was explicitly oriented toward understanding how Islamophobia operates at a systemic level and advising on how legislation and public policy affect the safety and well-being of Muslim communities. Eliminating this role removes one of the few federal mechanisms designed to undertake that work with dedicated resources and accountability.
CMPAC is particularly concerned that this decision may be a response to sustained pressure from lobby groups and disinformation campaigns against legitimate evidence-based policy development instituted within government.
More Muslims have been killed in targeted attacks in Canada in the past seven years than in any other G7 country. This envoy position was created as a response to the Islamophobic murder of the Afzal family in London. Therefore, the decision to eliminate the Islamophobia envoy position seems to be aligned with a broader pattern of concerning government actions that risk expanding the negative impact of systemic Islamophobia into civic society. This includes legislative approaches that expand state powers while inadequately safeguarding civil liberties including the advancement of Bill C-9 and the government’s willingness to accept amendments that raise serious religious freedoms concerns.
We are aware of the government’s intent to launch a new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion however we cannot fully qualify this initiative until more details are shared about its resourcing, institutional support, membership selection, decision-making authority, and how its work will translate into concrete policy outcomes. The government should engage and consult the communities impacted in these serious structural changes.
CMPAC would like to thank Amira Elghawaby for the important role she played in advancing a serious government agenda of combatting hate and Islamophobia under very challenging conditions. We recognize her contributions to centering the lived realities of Muslim communities in government policy making. We wish her success in her future endeavors.
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