Cotler appointed Canada's Holocaust envoy

Irwin Cotler, a former Liberal cabinet minster and long-time advocate for human rights, has been appointed Canada's first special envoy for Holocaust remembrance and combating anti-Semitism.

Pleased to join Britain-Israel APPG webinar today with Israeli Ambassador @TzipiHotovely and Professor @IrwinCotler ahead of annual commemoration of expulsion of Jews from Arab countries & Iran on 30th November. 850,000+ Jews faced persecution & fled their homes in 20th Century. pic.twitter.com/2RSfq0Labc

— CFoI (@CFoI) November 24, 2020

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the appointment today, saying Jewish communities in Canada and around the world face rising anti-Semitism.

Trudeau is affirming Canada's solidarity with Jewish people and the need to preserve the stories of the Holocaust in the face of hate and intolerance.

Cotler will lead Canada's delegation to the the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and will also work domestically to promote Holocaust education, remembrance and research.

The 80-year-old lawyer founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in Montreal after retiring from federal politics in 2015, a career that included serving as Canada's justice minister under former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin.

Earlier this month, Cotler released a report he wrote on behalf of a coalition of international lawyers calling for a new global charter to protect the rights of imprisoned journalists in an increasingly hostile world.