Justice Minister Arif Virani made a wise decision in accepting the resignation of Birju Dattani from his newly appointed role as Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC).
Several Jewish groups raised concerns about the appointment when it was announced in June. They claimed Dattani had made anti-Israel statements and supported a boycott of Israel. He was also accused of anti-Semitism in social media posts and publications during his academic career in Britain.
Virani commissioned a Toronto law firm to conduct an independent review. Last week, Virani asked Dattani to “pause” the start of his job, which was supposed to commence Aug. 8.
In her report Aug. 12, employment lawyer Sarah Crossley said she found no evidence of anti-Semitism by Dattani.
“Throughout the interview, Mr. Dattani was careful to criticize the actions of the State of Israel and not the Israeli people.”
Her report had concerns from his interview about the way he “deliberately de-emphasized the manner in which his academic work was critical of the State of Israel in respect of its treatment of Palestinians.
“He has not demonstrated any intentions or actions that suggest he is anti-Semitic or has beliefs that could be characterized as anti-Semitic,” the report said.
It questioned, however, his use of several different names under different circumstances. He used the name “Birju Dattani” or “Birju M. Dattani” or “Mujahid Dattani” at different times throughout his career.
“We do not accept Mr. Dattani’s suggestion that his choice of name was sometimes ‘Just whimsical.’ Mr. Dattani was strikingly thoughtful in respect of what names he chose to use and when.”
Dattani released a statement announcing his resignation.
“I remain a steadfast believer in the commission’s work, mandate and its importance to democracy,” he said.
Virani said in a statement that Dattani had “agreed to resign” and the process of choosing a new commissioner would start immediately.
“As I have said, maintaining the confidence of all Canadians in the Canadian Human Rights Commission remains my top priority.”
This could have been avoided if Dattani’s background had been thoroughly vetted in the first place. The CHRC job requires scrupulous impartiality. Like Caesar’s wife, the Chief Commissioner must be above reproach.
A Google search could have saved the government a lot of embarrassment.