Photo: Spencer Colby The Canadian Press Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani (pictured) has asked a law firm to conduct an investigation after Canadian Jewish organizations raised concerns about Birju Dattani's past activities.
Laura Osman – The Canadian Press in Ottawa
Published at 1:46 p.m. Updated at 6:14 p.m.
- Canada
Birju Dattani, who was appointed in June to chair the Canadian Human Rights Commission, announced he had agreed to resign Monday following an investigation into comments he made in the past about Israel.
Mr. Dattani has previously denied allegations that he made anti-Israel statements in the past, including what Conservatives in Ottawa called “justification of terrorism.”
When Canadian Jewish organizations raised concerns about Mr. Dattani’s past activities, the federal justice minister commissioned a law firm to conduct an investigation. But after “carefully reviewing the independent report” and Mr. Dattani’s response, Minister Arif Virani now says “the findings are clear.”
“I have accepted Mr. Dattani’s decision to resign as Chairperson of the Commission,” the minister wrote in a statement Monday. “As I have stated previously, my highest priority is to maintain the trust of Canadians in the Canadian Human Rights Commission.” »
The lengthy report from the outside law firm details 14 allegations against Mr. Dattani, including comments he had posted on social media and elsewhere under the name “Mujahid” Dattani — a “mujahid” being a fighter for the Islamic faith who engages in jihad.
The law firm’s team that conducted the investigation, however, found nothing to indicate that Mr. Dattani harbored “beliefs that would be characterized as anti-Semitic or that he demonstrated any bias (conscious or unconscious) toward Jews or Israelis.”
In contrast, Filion Wakely Thorup Angelett concluded that his explanation for not having mentioned the name “Mujahid Dattani” throughout the application and background check process “lacked credibility.”
Instead, he provided the name “Birju Mujahid Dattani,” despite appearing on several panels and introducing himself on social media as “Mujahid.”
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“On a balance of probabilities and based on all of the evidence, we conclude that Mr. Dattani intentionally omitted the reference to “Mujahid Dattani” on the Background Check Consent Form (and elsewhere) and that at no point during the application or interview process did he disclose that he had used the name “Mujahid Dattani” in the past,” we read in the investigation report, made public by the minister on Monday.
After receiving these findings, Mr. Virani warned Mr. Dattani, in a letter dated July 31, that the results of the investigation raised serious concerns about his honesty and candor during the application process.
Mr. Dattani was set to take up his new role last Thursday, but he agreed to take a leave of absence while Minister Virani considered what to do next after the inquiry.
The resigning minister wrote Monday that he remains “a strong supporter of the commission’s work, its mandate and its importance to our democracy.”
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Conservatives delighted
Conservative deputy leader in Ottawa Melissa Lantsman, who had been calling for his firing, welcomed the news, which came a little late. “Dattani’s past writings were easily discoverable with a simple Google search,” Lantsman wrote on X.
“Either the Trudeau government’s political staff did not conduct such a rudimentary search, or they found this material and considered the comments unproblematic,” she wrote, calling for a “full, free and fair investigation” into the entire process of his appointment.
B’Nai Brith Canada is also calling for a “thorough investigation” to avoid these “critical flaws in the selection process, which must be corrected … to protect the integrity of our democracy,” the Jewish organization wrote on X.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs also welcomed Monday “that the Government of Canada has taken seriously the concerns of the Jewish community and launched an investigation into Birju Dattani’s suitability to lead the Commission,” given “revelations about his associations with individuals and groups linked to listed terrorist entities and his troubling history of anti-Semitic statements.”
But the organization Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East emphasizes that the team that investigated Mr. Dattani was unable to conclude that he harbored “beliefs that would be qualified as anti-Semitic or that he demonstrated prejudice (conscious or unconscious) toward Jews or Israelis.”
The minister also assured Monday that the new nomination process for the chair of the commission would begin “as soon as possible.”
“I am grateful to the interim chair, Charlotte-Anne Malischewski, for her continued service to the Canadian public in the meantime.”