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PCO says it didn't search new human rights chief's online aliases, blames
'administrative oversight' | CBC News Loaded
Politics·Updated
PCO SAYS IT DIDN'T SEARCH NEW HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF'S ONLINE ALIASES, BLAMES
'ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT'
The Privy Council Office (PCO) says it did not search the aliases Birju Dattani,
the new head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, used to make controversial
social media posts.
PCO SAYS IT WILL REVIEW ITS BACKGROUND CHECK PROCESS
David Thurton , Holly Cabrera · CBC News · Posted: Jul 08, 2024 3:25 PM PDT |
Last Updated: 10 minutes ago
Birju Dattani was appointed commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights
Commission. Dattani, who formerly served in a similar role in Yukon, is now the
subject of a federal government probe of his past public statements. (Birju
Dattani/LinkedIn)
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The Privy Council Office (PCO) says it did not search the aliases Birju Dattani,
the new head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, used to make controversial
social media posts.
A spokesperson for the PCO said in a statement to CBC News on Monday that "an
administrative oversight resulted in the aliases not being searched by PCO."
In June, Dattani was named the CHRC's chief commissioner, making him the first
Muslim or racialized person to head the organization.
Shortly after his historic appointment, national Jewish organizations cited what
they described as antisemitic social media posts made under the name "Mujahid
Dattani" and a controversial appearance on a debate panel in the U.K.
As the secretariat serving the federal cabinet and the prime minister, the PCO
is responsible for background checks for all Governor-in-Council appointments.
"The aliases were also not reviewed nor shared with security partners who
conduct background checks," a spokesperson for the PCO said. "After this
oversight was discovered, PCO shared the aliases with its security partners who
are now completing necessary reviews."
* Government now says new human rights chief did disclose key information about
controversial social media posts
* Feds reviewing new human rights commissioner's online posts after Jewish
advocates raise concerns
The spokesperson added that the PCO would be reviewing its background check
process in this case and that neither the existence of Dattani's aliases, nor
any forms containing his aliases, were shared with the Prime Minister's Office
or the justice minister's office.
"This is consistent with our usual practice in these types of appointments,
which this incident has caused us to review," the spokesperson said.
Justice Minister Arif Virani's spokesperson confirmed last week that Dattani
disclosed an alias to "public servants as part of the security assessment of Mr.
Dattani." The minister's press secretary, Chantalle Aubertin, said the name was
not provided to Virani's office.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) accused Dattani of posting
articles on X, formerly Twitter, that compared Israel to Nazi Germany. The posts
and Dattani's account appear to have been deleted.
* Canadian Human Rights Commission faces downgrade as international body
launches review
CBC News has not seen the alleged posts. Dattani himself has said he did not
compare Israel to Nazi Germany. He said he did share without comment an article
comparing the plight of Palestinians to that of prisoners in the Warsaw Ghetto
during the Second World War, adding that he didn't agree with the article's
argument.
In 2015, Dattani also spoke on a panel in the U.K. alongside a member of Hizb
ut-Tahrir, an Islamic fundamentalist group that seeks to establish a new
caliphate and opposes Israel's existence.
Dattani said he was unaware of the other panellists' affiliations and had never
met them before.
His lawyer, Muneeza Sheikh, told CBC News in an email that her client "disclosed
all information requested of him by the government" and has no insight into how
the information was used or to whom it was given.
"We are not losing sight of the core issue which is my client's appointment in
this role," Sheikh said. "We maintain that the allegations are utterly baseless
and that an investigation around the same will confirm that there is no basis to
question my client's suitability as Commissioner."
When asked about the issue on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland
said that "we need to do better and the Privy Council needs to do better."
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman called on the prime minister to
"immediately fire" the new human rights commissioner and accused the government
of avoiding "accountability for appointing a Human Rights Commissioner with a
long history of anti-Israel statements and a record of justifying terrorism."
"First they said they didn't know, then they revealed they knew about his online
aliases, and now they claim they didn't even perform background and security
checks with the information they had," Lantsman said in a media statement issued
Monday.
"It's clear the Justin Trudeau and his Justice Minister are seeking to blame
everyone but themselves."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Thurton
Senior reporter, Parliamentary Correspondent
David Thurton is a senior reporter in CBC's Parliamentary Bureau. He covers
daily politics in the nation’s capital and specializes in environment and energy
policy. Born in Canada but raised in Trinidad and Tobago, he’s moved around more
times than he can count. He’s worked for CBC in several provinces and
territories, including Alberta and the Northwest Territories. He can be reached
at david.thurton@cbc.ca
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