The Trudeau government is opening an investigation into its newly appointed head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission after allegations of past anti-Israel activism.
The appointment of Birju Dattani, the former head of the Yukon territory’s human rights commission, has come under fire over a history of comments and activities accused of being antisemitic.
In 2015, he shared a stage with a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic fundamentalist group.
Dattani spoke at a series of “Israel Apartheid Week” events at British universities, promoting the boycott, divestment, and sanction of Israel, or what’s known as the BDS movement.
“Workers should boycott Israel and Israeli goods,” Dattani was quoted saying at the protest by the News Line, a Marxist outlet.
Dattani also protested outside the Israeli embassy in London as crowds reportedly chanted, “Zionism is terrorism” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” in 2012.
“We have become aware of potentially troubling statements attributed to Mr. Dattani as well as events he participated in while he was a graduate student in London, England a decade ago,” a spokesperson for Justice Minister Arif Virani told National Post in a statement.
“It is critical for the Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission to maintain the confidence of all Canadians and to be seen as an impartial and fair judge of matters before them. We are carefully reviewing these statements and discussing them with Mr. Dattani, as well as relevant stakeholders.”
Dattani was appointed earlier this month.
The Government of Canada has listed attempts to boycott and sanction Israel as one of its primary examples of antisemitism.
“Trudeau Liberals appoint an antisemite who compared Israelis to Nazis as head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission,” said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in a social media post.
A statement from Poilievre’s office said “the Liberal government is no longer taking its obligations to protect Canadians seriously. Not only have they failed to stand up to antisemitism, but they also have a disgraceful track record of appointing antisemites to positions of authority.”
The statement went on to say that the Liberals had appointed an “individual with a disgusting antisemitic record” which “should immediately disqualify someone from being appointed to a government position, let alone for a position that’s sole purpose is to fight racism and defend human rights.”
However, the Canadian Human Rights Commission has defended Dattani, saying it looks forward to him beginning his new role on Aug. 8.
“Mr. Dattani was independently appointed by the Minister of Justice and the Commission is preparing to welcome him,” reads the CHRC statement. “We trust that Mr. Dattani’s experience and expertise in human rights will serve him well when he assumes the role of Chief Commissioner.”
Dattani did not respond to a request for comment from True North sent to him through the human rights commission. However, in a statement to the National Post, Dattani said that his views on Israel have evolved.
“As an academic, I have discussed, often in great detail, the BDS movement. That being said, I have not personally or publicly endorsed the BDS movement,” he said.
“My current and previous roles require that I impartially defend the human rights of Canadians from all walks of life, backgrounds and lived experiences in line with Canadian law. I am wholly committed to combating anti-Semitism.”
In response to the allegations, the Conservatives called for an emergency meeting at the Justice Committee so that Canadians would be able to hear from Justice Minister Virani and Dattani..
The Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois stymied this effort, however.