Former federal Islamophobia representative and Toronto Star columnist Amira Elghawaby charged taxpayers nearly $18,000 for a four-day trip to England that included discussions with a British working group developing a definition of Islamophobia, according to newly released expense records.The $17,816 bill included $10,522 in business-class airfare and $2,947 for accommodations at the four-star Thistle Hotel Piccadilly in central London, according to Access To Information records.“The Special Representative attended and spoke to a private session with members of the United Kingdom’s independent working group on defining Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred and their secretariat,” said the records.“The discussion explored Canada’s approach to defining Islamophobia including terminology, links to racism and the role of formal definitions in shaping policy.”Blacklock's Reporter said the British government confirms the independent working group was established to advise it on a working definition of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia. Its five members included representatives of Muslim organizations, academics and other experts.Elghawaby, who was then cabinet’s $191,300-a-year Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, told department managers her “personal attendance was required.”Canadian Heritage did not comment on the expenses, according to the records.The department withheld details of the trip for a year under the Access To Information Act. The documents did not specify how much of Elghawaby’s four-day visit was spent meeting with the working group.The British group was tasked with providing the government with advice on a definition reflecting a range of perspectives among British Muslims. It also conducted a public call for evidence as part of its work.Elghawaby had previously outlined her own views on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism in Canada..“Islamophobia in the workplace looks like many things,” she wrote in a 2024 memo. “It can manifest when Muslim employees face challenges in accessing reasonable accommodations for religious practices such as prayer breaks, fasting during Ramadan or dress code requirements.”She also listed “escorting an employee out of the workplace for making pro-Palestinian remarks” as an example of workplace Islamophobia.Elghawaby wrote that anti-Palestinian racism could include “justifying violence against Palestinians” and failing to recognize Palestinians as an indigenous people or collective identity.She also cited the denial of equal rights or identity to Palestinians and portraying Palestinians or their supporters as threatening, violent or opposed to democratic values.The federal government announced February 4 that it would eliminate the stand-alone offices dealing with Islamophobia and antisemitism and replace them with a broader advisory council focused on rights, equality, inclusion and social cohesion.Elghawaby subsequently resigned as Special Representative. In a February 25 statement, Heritage Minister Marc Miller thanked her for her work and said she and her staff had built “a strong foundation” in federal efforts to combat Islamophobia and other forms of hate.Miller said when the government announced the restructuring that the new advisory council would continue addressing Islamophobia and antisemitism while placing greater emphasis on national unity and bringing Canadians together.
