Birju Dattani, whose appointment as Canada’s Human Rights Commissioner was abruptly suspended, claims he was personally recruited by the Department of Justice for the high-profile role.
“The federal government sought me out,” Dattani said Thursday, asserting that a senior official invited him to apply for the $394,000-a-year position.
He was officially appointed in June 2024 after what he described as a “lengthy and rigorous” vetting process.
Blacklock's Reporter said Dattani, a former organizer for the Muslim Students Association, was set to take office on August 8 but was suspended just hours before his start date following public outcry over past remarks on Israel and terrorism.
A federal investigation confirmed he attended protests outside the Israeli Embassy in the United Kingdom, participated in “Israeli Apartheid Week” events at Cambridge, and, as a student, posted a tweet accusing Israel of “war crimes.”
In 2014, he also spoke at Istanbul’s Muslim Research Forum on “the value of the concept of terrorism.”
Dattani expressed regret over the incidents but defended his record.
“I am a human rights professional with a long history of fighting for justice for the most marginalized,” he said.
Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith was among those who opposed his appointment.
“He repeatedly expressed antisemitic views on social media, including a post comparing Palestinians in Gaza to Jewish prisoners in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust,” the organization stated at the time.
Dattani has since launched a $2 million libel lawsuit against Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and Rebel News Network publisher Ezra Levant, alleging they misrepresented his views. None have yet filed statements of defense.
Speaking at a news conference, Dattani solicited donations to support his legal fees, while his lawyer, Alexi Wood, declined to discuss the circumstances of his suspension.
