Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced Wednesday that Jeffrey Marder, Canada’s ambassador to Spain and Andorra, has been appointed head of the Canadian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the international organization responsible for Holocaust education, remembrance and research.
Marder, a career diplomat with nearly 30 years of experience, previously served as interim head of Canada’s delegation to the alliance in 2023. He has held several senior positions within Global Affairs Canada, including executive director of the Human Rights and Indigenous Affairs Policy Division. Before joining the foreign service in 1997, he conducted graduate research at Simon Fraser University focusing on the Jewish community in Argentina.
He replaces Angelica Liao-Moroz, who served as Canada’s interim head of delegation over the past year. Marder will lead Canada’s representatives on the alliance’s committees and expert working groups, which coordinate Holocaust education, historical research and remembrance initiatives among member countries.
Canada joined the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2009 and chaired the organization from 2013 to 2014. The alliance currently includes 35 member countries and eight observer countries. Canada adopted its working definition of antisemitism in 2019, incorporating it into the federal government’s anti racism strategy.
In October 2024, Ottawa released a Canadian handbook on the IHRA definition, providing Canadian examples of contemporary antisemitism for use by educators, government institutions and law enforcement agencies. The federal government also established a permanent National Holocaust Remembrance Program, allocating $5 million over five years beginning in 2024, followed by $2 million annually. Fifteen initiatives had been approved for funding as of July 8, 2026.
The appointment follows the release of a federal progress report on September 24 addressing Canada’s national commitments to combat antisemitism. The report identified anti Zionism among contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and outlined government programs involving police training, education, criminal prosecution and community security. Montreal Jewish News previously reported on the federal government’s treatment of anti Zionism and its inclusion in the national strategy.
Statistics Canada reported 920 police recorded hate crimes targeting Jews in 2024, compared with 959 the previous year. Jewish Canadians were the targets of approximately 70 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes reported to police, despite representing approximately one percent of Canada’s population. The figures include incidents classified by police as confirmed or suspected hate crimes.
Montreal’s Jewish community has experienced several attacks on its institutions since October 7, 2023. Yeshiva Gedola Merkaz Hatorah was struck by gunfire twice in November 2023, while Azrieli Talmud Torah was also targeted. In September 2026, Abdirazak Mahdi Ahmed pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in connection with the second Yeshiva Gedola shooting, which occurred on November 12, 2023. The earlier school shootings remain unsolved.
The use of the IHRA definition has also become the subject of legal proceedings involving Canadian educational institutions. Earlier this month, 12 Jewish educators in Ontario filed human rights applications against four school boards and two teachers’ unions, alleging discrimination and a failure to respond adequately to anti Jewish harassment. The educators are seeking financial compensation and institutional changes, including adoption of the IHRA definition. The allegations have not yet been determined by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
According to Global Affairs Canada, Marder will continue serving as ambassador to Spain and Andorra while assuming responsibility for Canada’s delegation to the Holocaust remembrance organization. The government did not announce any additional funding or legislative measures in connection with Wednesday’s appointment.
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