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Trudeau government slammed for gap in screening of human rights commission head
A background check obtained by the Star is exposing gaps in the federal government’s screening process and public explanation of its controversial hiring of the newest chief of the Canadian Human Rights Commission
OTTAWA—A background check obtained by the Star is exposing gaps in the federal government’s screening process and public explanation of its controversial hiring of the newest chief of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC).
In June, Justice Minister Arif Virani announced that Birju Dattani had been appointed to lead the commission, which promotes human rights and oversees discrimination complaints. But the announcement quickly drew condemnation from Jewish groups and the federal Conservatives, due to past comments and events tied to Dattani that critics deemed antisemitic. At issue was the fact that the law expert went by the name “Mujahid Dattani” on social media, and used both that name and “Birju Mujahid Dattani” when he was a student and academic in England.
Virani’s office, responding to the concerns last week, told the Globe and Mail in a statement that it had no knowledge of Dattani’s use of an alternate name during that period of his life, which critics argue should have been factored into his vetting process.
But a copy of the background check Dattani submitted during that process shows that he listed other names when he submitted the document more than two months before the federal government announced his appointment.
