Conservative deputy head calls for firing of Birju Dattani, claims 'independent' review not independent or transparent
The recently appointed chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) is on leave from work before officially taking on the role amid controversies around his appointment.
This comes after the Department of Justice Canada received an independent fact-finding review of the issues around Birju Dattani’s appointment, said Arif Virani, minister of justice and attorney general of Canada.
“While I carefully consider this matter, Mr. Dattani has agreed to take leave at this time,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Dattani was supposed to start his work at the CHRC on Thursday, Aug. 8. He became the first Muslim and racialized person to be named as head of the CHRC when he was appointed chief commissioner in June.
After his appointment, however, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) raised concerns about “troubling past of anti-Israel and even antisemitic positions”.
In July, the Privy Council Office (PCO) said it failed to look into the aliases that Dattani allegedly used to make the controversial social media posts.
Virani also said that he will have more to say about these issues in the coming days.
Should CHRC chief commissioner be fired?
Meanwhile, Melissa Lantsman, Conservative deputy leader, has called for the firing of Dattani. She also criticized the independent review conducted by law firm Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti.
"Nothing about this review is independent or transparent as the whole process has been set up by the same Liberals who have spent weeks trying to cover up the truth about this appointment," Lantsman said in a statement, according to another CBC report.
"This meaningless half-measure is not enough,” she added, according to a report from The Canadian Press published in the National Observer.
Dattani’s lawyer previously said her client would challenge an attempt to have him removed, according to the CP report.
The CHRC is also facing a number of controversies outside of Dattani’s appointment. A report published in June noted that the United Nations’s oversight body will be investigating the CHRC following reports that the Canadian body has discriminated against Black and racialized workers.
In February, a coalition of Canadian human rights groups and unions filed a systemic discrimination complaint against the commission.
