Federal bureaucrats missed a $133,822 grant application from a known anti-Semite because it was filed in his wife's name..Blacklock's Reporter says records show the grant for Laith Marouf raised “no flags” at the Department of Canadian Heritage. MPs protested funding for Marouf after he was banned from Twitter for fantasizing about shooting Jews..“The project was assessed which included an assessment of the public profile of the organization, the organization’s track record, the external environment and the financials,” the department wrote in a briefing note..“In this case there was a search done of the organization and there were no flags and so no further assessment of the individuals was undertaken.”.“If the individual’s views had been discovered the project would not have been funded. This is why we are looking to strengthen our vetting process.”.Marouf’s Community Media Advocacy Centre in 2021 was awarded funding to conduct “anti-racism” workshops in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montréal and Halifax. Twitter that year suspended his account for posts in which he described Jews as “Zionist bags of human feces.”.“Life is too short for shoes with laces or for entertaining Jewish white supremacists with anything but a bullet to the head,” Marouf wrote in one post. “May death visit the home of every Zionist on earth,” he wrote in another..Records show Marouf’s grant application was submitted in his wife’s — Gretchen King — name. She signed the document as “secretary of the board of directors” of the Advocacy Centre. The couple are now believed to live in Beirut. No federal funding was recovered..The briefing note was written for a February 13 appearance by Associate Deputy Minister Mala Khanna at the Commons heritage committee. Khanna testified staff never attempted any background checks on Marouf, but did not explain why..“Has there been disciplinary action for any staff over what happened here?” asked Conservative MP Martin Shields (Bow River, AB.). “Accountability is very important,” replied Khanna. “I have spoken to the employees who were involved in this case.”.“Did any employee within the Canadian Heritage department have any sanction or any discipline?” asked Liberal MP Anthony Housefather (Mount Royal, Que.). “We have learned from this experience,” replied Khanna..“So the answer is no?” asked MP Housefather..“No,” agreed Khanna.
