A letter signed by hundreds of Canadians is demanding the prime minister replace Anthony Housefather as the federal government’s special advisor on Jewish community relations and antisemitism.
The letter accuses the Montreal MP of pushing “anti-Palestinian racist and Islamophobic narratives” for months.
Addressed to MPs and Senators, the letter asks for a full re-assessment and evaluation of the appointment. and calls for urgent replacement of Housefather.
The letter also accuses Prime Minister Justice Trudeau of being anti-Palestinian and failing to fight hate in Canada.
“We have already seen efforts to demonize those protesting in support of justice for Palestinians and suppress their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and this will likely increase with his appointment given that MP Housefather is an ardent supporter of the Israeli government and its military assault on Palestinians.,” says the letter.
Members of organizations including Independent Jewish Voices, Palestinian and Jewish Unity, Canadian Muslim Healthcare Network and Canadians United Against Hate are among the signatories.
“Anthony Housefather does not represent the interests of a growing and non-negligible number of Jews in Canada that do not support the genocidal actions of Israel,” Niall Clapham-Ricardo of Independent Jewish Voices told Capital Current.
“We need someone who understands that standing up for Palestinian human rights is our collective duty and does not constitute antisemitism in the slightest.”
Signatories question the rationale behind appointing Housefather while there already is a special representative to fight antisemitism, namely Deborah Lyons.
In October 2023, Trudeau appointed Lyons as the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, replacing Irwin Cotler who served from 2020 to 2023.
Housefather was named the Special Advisor on Jewish Community Relations and Antisemitism in July although leaks about his appointment were reported in June. The leaks sparked heated debate on social media over Housefather’s posts against pro-Palestinian protests and his support of Israel’s war on Gaza.
“You do not appoint someone who has promoted one form of hate to a position to fight another form of hate. This is deeply troubling,” said Fareed Khan, the founder of Canadians United Against Hate.
“This is a purely political appointment. What we see here is the utter hypocrisy of the Liberal government on issues of racism and exceptionalism.”
Fareed pointed out that Housefather has promoted the Israeli narrative and continuously justified Israel’s actions even while several Israeli leaders called for the extermination of Palestinians.
He also added that when conservative or other members promoted some form of racism or Islamophobia, the Liberals acted outraged demanding that these people be censured or removed from the conservative caucus.
“Now we have the Liberal Prime Minister appointing someone who has promoted racism and Islamophobia, appointing him to a prominent advisory position,” said Khan
“It shows that the Prime Minister has just lost the ability to judge properly, and he doesn’t understand what it takes to fight hate.”
Concerns about appointing Housefather were raised by several including members of the Liberal caucus.
About two weeks before the official appointment, Shafqat Ali, a Liberal MP for Brampton-Centre, told CBC News he believes Housefather is not the right person for the job because “he lacks in judgment and has contributed more in dividing Canadians in the last eight months.”
Khan said he believes there are other Jewish MPs who could be more appropriate for that position.
“If someone had promoted hate against Jews, there is no way that that person would have been appointed to any sort of position within the government,” said Khan
“I can assure you that had there been an MP who had promoted antisemitism, or stood with a government that was committing atrocities against the Jewish minority population in a foreign country, that person would probably have been expelled from the Liberal caucus.”
The Prime Minister Office and Anthony Housefather’s office did not respond to Capital Current’s request for comment.
