The Quebec government is calling for the removal of the federal government’s first special representative on combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, only four days after she was first appointed.
Jean-Francois Roberge, Quebec’s minister responsible for Canadian relations, called for Elghawaby’s dismissal on Monday following her attendance at the sixth commemoration of the deadly mosque attack in Quebec City.
Since her appointment, she has faced criticism for her comments about Quebec and its secularism law, which she wrote about in a 2019 opinion piece in the Ottawa Citizen.
She has been accused of being influenced by anti-Muslim sentiment and not properly apologizing for her comments about Quebec.
She “seems to be overcome by an anti-Quebec sentiment,” said Jean-François Roberge, CAQ minister responsible for the French language.
“All she did was try to justify her hateful comments. That doesn’t fly. She must resign and if she doesn’t, the government must remove her immediately.”
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez have also called for Elghawaby’s removal.
