Canada’s new human rights commissioner resigned before he could officially begin his role following an investigation into his appointment, controversies over past remarks on Israel and Palestine, and his failure to disclose his use of a second name.

 

Human Rights Commissioner Birju Dattani Resigns@SkubicTheresa speaks with @richardmarceau, Vice President & General Counsel at the Centre for Israel & Jewish Affairs (CIJA). #forumdailyca pic.twitter.com/n7Pd2oakDw

— The News Forum (@TheNewsForum_) August 14, 2024

 

Birju Dattani announced his resignation in a LinkedIn post on August 12th: "I have agreed to resign as Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, effective today."

"I remain a steadfast believer in the Commission's work, mandate, and its importance to our democracy," he added.

Canada’s Human Rights Commission operates independently of the Canadian federal government and looks into complaints against the Canadian government, among other things.

In a statement, Arif Virani, Canada’s minister of justice and attorney general, accepted Dattani’s resignation and said that a process to appoint a new human rights commissioner would begin soon.

 

The Trudeau government was intentionally implementing Birju until people realized his background and they were forced to explore

— VaxProChoiceEmployers (@VaxProChoice) August 8, 2024

 

"The findings speak for themselves," Virani said. "I received Mr. Dattani's submissions in response to the report on August 1, 2024. 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 also said that while the country searches for a new chief human rights commissioner, interim commissioner Charlotte-Anne Malischewski will continue to serve the role in the meantime. 

When Dattani was appointed as Canada’s new chief human rights commissioner, his appointment was met with fierce opposition from Canadian Jewish organizations such as the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) over his past remarks and actions on Israel, which were described as antisemitic, along with his use of a second name that he failed to disclose.

 

Good riddance

— Tony patterson (@Tonypatter89199) August 13, 2024

 

The complaints triggered a fact-finding mission initiated by Justice Minister and Attorney General Arif Virani and run by the firm Filion Wakely Angeletti LLP. They submitted their report to Virani on July 31st. Dattani agreed to go on leave on the day before he was set to begin his role as commissioner officially. 

Chantalle Aubertin, Virani’s press secretary, replied “no comment” when asked if Dattani was paid during his leave or if he received a compensation package upon his resignation. 

CIJA pointed out that Dattani used the name "Mujahid Dattani,” a name he adopted when he converted to Islam from Hinduism in 2001, in some of his social media activities and online engagements, a name that was not covered by the initial background check of the Privy Council Office (PCO).

The findings of the report said that "on a balance of probabilities and based on the totality of evidence," Dattani omitted his name, Mujahid Dattani, from his background check forms and omitted periods of unemployment. In his letter to Virani, Dattani said he chose to go by his given name, Birju Dattani, again in 2017 but explained that Mujahid remains a part of his identity.

 

Israel is actually worse than Nazi Germany.

— Peter Athens (@PeterAthens78) August 9, 2024

 

Among other things, he was accused of antisemitic speech and behavior, including sharing a post that compared Palestinians to Warsaw Ghetto prisoners, articles that compared Israel to Nazi Germany, and participating in panels such as the Israel Apartheid Week and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

Nevertheless, the report also said that there is no evidence that Dattani is antisemitic, with an excerpt of the report cited by Dattani claiming he has a “high degree of self-awareness and sensitivity” regarding the challenges faced by Jews in Canada. 

"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 anti-Semitic or that he has demonstrated any biases (conscious or unconscious) towards Jews or Israelis," Said a segment of the report cited by Dattani to his letter to Virani on August 1st.

 

These people can’t contain themselves from making hateful statements, it’s their religion. The people in the government are supposed to be un bias and pragmatic. The people of this religion cannot do this job.

— Peter Bellwood (@PeteismPeter) August 10, 2024

 

While the report did not offer any advice on whether Dattani should continue his role and that his past criticism and advocacy against Israel would not have necessarily interfered with his ability to do his job as human rights commissioner, it also said Dattani should have been more forthcoming during his 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," the report said.