In light of the scandalous Birju Dattani affair, one can only hope that the Canadian federal government will not make the same egregious mistake again in its employment practices.
Dattani, selected recently as chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, agreed to go on leave last week following a flurry of complaints from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and B’nai Brith about his objectionable social media posts.
Last week, under pressure, he resigned. Nonetheless, as he noted in a post on August 12, he remains “a steadfast believer in the commission’s work, mandate, and its importance to our democracy.”
Richard Marceau, CIJA’s vice-president of external affairs and general counsel, described Dattani’s departure as a “good thing.” As he put it, “The Jewish community had lost confidence in him to occupy that position, which is so important at this period where we’re seeing sky-high levels of antisemitism. It was the right thing to do.”
David Granovsky, B’nai Brith’s director of government relations, said, “Considering his track record, serious questions were raised about his ability to perform the functions of chief commissioner in an objective and unbiased manner. Dattani’s departure is a major relief for the Jewish community.”
The deputy leader of the Conservative party, Melissa Lantsman, called for an investigation to determine how Dattani was hired. “Antisemites should hold no position in Canada’s government, especially one entrusting them to safeguard Canadians’ rights and freedoms, including the right to worship and the right to free speech,” she wrote on X.
CIJA and B’nai Brith both expressed alarm over Dattani’s appointment after poring over his social media posts, including one noxious one that compared the situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to that of Jews in the Nazi Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust.
Much to his discredit, Dattani — a Hindu convert to Islam who temporarily adopted the name Mujahid after his conversion in 2001 — also participated in a panel discussion alongside an individual linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamist organization listed as a terrorist entity by Britain.
And he apparently posted articles on X that compared Israel to Nazi Germany.
That the government chose such a demonstrably unsuitable person to lead the Canadian Human Rights Commission is nothing short of outrageous.
As Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith’s director of research and advocacy, said, “The Dattani saga highlights critical flaws in the government’s process for vetting candidates. We call for a thorough investigation to ensure such oversights are prevented in the future.”
Exactly.
Justice Minister Arif Virani established a fact-finding panel to separate fact from fiction following these complaints about his suitability. It was overseen by the law firm of Filion Wakely Angeletti, which submitted its report to Virani on July 31.
The report found no evidence that Dattani is antisemitic. “Based on Mr. Dattani’s evidence, the scholarship that was reviewed and provided, we cannot find that Mr. Dattani harbored or harbors any beliefs that would be characterized as antisemitic or that he has demonstrated any biases (conscious or unconscious) towards Jews or Israelis.”
The report states that, while Dattani’s criticism of Israel would not necessarily have interfered in his ability to perform the job, he should have been more forthcoming about his opinions in the application phase.
“Mr. Dattani’s efforts to downplay the critical nature of his work was concerning and, certainly, his failure to directly disclose this work deprived the government of the opportunity to have a discussion with Mr. Dattani about what, if any, impact his scholarship and perspective would or could have if he were appointed to the role of chief commissioner.”
Nevertheless, the report said, Dattani has a “high degree of self-awareness and sensitivity” with respect to the challenges faced by Canadian Jews.
“The findings speak for themselves,” Virani said. “I have accepted Mr. Dattani’s decision to step down as chief commissioner. As I have said, maintaining the confidence of all Canadians in the Canadian Human Rights Commission remains my top priority.”
Virani said that a search for a new commissioner will begin as soon as possible, and that, in the meantime, the interim commissioner, Charlotte-Anne Malischewski, will continue to run it.
This much is clear in the wake of Dattani’s resignation.
Although he may or may not be an antisemite, Dattani is someone who mangles and distorts history to support his unabashedly pro-Palestinian perspective.
Given his completely one-sided views, Dattani should never have been picked as chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The careless officials who processed his job application failed miserably, embarrassing the government and costing taxpayers a bundle.
The vetting process that was applied to Dattani fell far short of the mark. It should not happen again.