New Human Rights Commissioner on ropes for alleged past anti-Israel comments
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Jun 26, 2024 • 4 minute read
If Pierre Poilievre were prime minister, the appointment of Birju Dattani as Canada’s new Chief Human Rights Commissioner would already be under investigation for alleged past anti-Israel allegiances.
“Trudeau Liberals appoint an antisemite who compared Israelis to Nazis as head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Liberal MP Housefather could agree to recall committee to investigate this grotesque appointment,” the Conservative leader who is polling to be Canada’s next PM wrote in an X post on Wednesday.
In her own X post, Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman added: “Trudeau’s new human rights commissioner has a grotesque anti-Israel record. Liberal MP Anthony Housefather has the power to recall Justice Committee, question the Minister and confront the commissioner. Instead, Housefather will prop up Trudeau and let this antisemitic commissioner off the hook. All of this while Trudeau blocks Housefather’s appointment to a role fighting antisemitism.”
Tough language.
Seems Liberal MP Anthony Housefather was listening. By day’s end, even he was agreeing with Poilievre and Lantsman.
“I am extremely troubled by information that has surfaced regarding Mr. Dattani’s past conduct,” Housefather wrote in an open letter posted to X. “I understand that Mr. Dattani did not disclose this information.”
At the urging of the Conservatives and groups like B’nai Brith and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Housefather has “asked Justice to launch an independent investigation” to “look at all past conduct.”
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center also weighed in via social media.
“FSWC is calling on the Canadian government to address its latest vetting failure that led to its appointment of a new head of the @CdnHumanRights who has a history of anti-Israel actions,” the centre posted on X.
While Dattani in the National Post denied these allegations against him, it has been reported he has in the past made derogatory comments about Israel and Jews.
It is important that he get a full and fair hearing on this because no one wants to see someone tarnished on bad information.
That said, the opposition to him getting this chief commissioner job is mounting.
“Media reporting reveals that now active Chief Commissioner, Birju Dattani, participated in an anti-Israel rally following the death of a senior Hamas terrorist, shared a platform with radical extremists that oppose Israel’s existence and has shared content that compares Israelis to Nazis,” MPs Rob Moore, Tako van Popta, Marilyn Gladu and Jamil Jivani wrote in a joint letter to the chair of the commission. “This track record should immediately disqualify someone from being appointed to a government position, let alone being appointed to a position whose purpose is to defend human rights.”
The whole affair is troubling since, if the allegations are true, it appears the appointment came from Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and not after a robust vetting process. Virani at the time of the June 8 announcement said Dattani “brings a wealth of both professional and personal lived experience to this role” and “our government remains committed to the protection of all human rights in Canada, including the fight against racism, and to strengthening our country’s role within the international human rights system.”
Whether he has the ability and credibility to do that is now in question.
Dattani has not so far returned a request for comment and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has referred all matters to the justice department which has yet to return a request for comment.
However, after the National Post reported in 2015 that Dattani had “shared the stage with a member of an Islamic fundamentalist group and repeatedly lectured during Israel Apartheid Week at British universities about the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement” they did indicate there would be a review. (Dattani denied he supports the BDS movement and said he does not share the views of everyone he has spoken alongside.)
The CBC reported about a deleted article posted on X “that compared Israel to Nazi Germany.” That is something Dattani’ calls “odious” and denies ever sharing.
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) President Shimon Fogel, told National Post reporter Ari Blaff that he’s “deeply concerned” since Dattani “has a history of making highly troubling antisemitic statements.”
Needless to say, the Trudeau government is in full damage control. If the allegations are true then his was a bad appointment and clearly, as Poilievre and Lantsman have articulated, the well has been poisoned and it will be hard to clear it up.
“The information that has come to light following the appointment of Mr. Dattani has been deeply concerning and brings his ability to operate as Canada’s Human Rights Commissioner into question,” said Richard Robertson, Director of Research and Advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada. “The appointment, without Mr. Dattani having first undergone a sufficiently thorough vetting process, underscores the need for our federal government to review internal procedures. It is imperative that our national security apparatus properly review Mr. Dattani’s prior associations and disseminations, and that if warranted his appointment be rescinded.”
If these posts or affiliations are real, Dattani can save everybody time by just pulling his name from the job now.
Or Trudeau can simply yank it himself.
If Pierre Poilievre were prime minister, the appointment of Birju Dattani would already be under investigation.
torontosun.com
