On Friday January 28th, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, highlighted the federal government’s intention to appoint a special representative on combatting Islamophobia. This was a specific request of Hikma, NCCM, and many other of our advocacy partners across Canada, as an important part of the fight against Islamophobia. You can see the government’s announcement here. On Thursday night, Hikma spoke to Minister Hussen personally, and the Minister has committed to consulting Muslims on the selection, design and resourcing of this Special Representative. We have always insisted that this role cannot be symbolic. It must come with funding, staffing and the ability to make a difference, and we will continue to work with the Minister on this.