Heritage Minister Marc Miller is refusing to say who approved a federal summer jobs grant to an organization tied to a Montréal activist with a documented history of "antisemitic" remarks, despite records showing his office signed off on the funding.Blacklock's Reporter says internal documents reveal a $2,882 grant under the Canada Summer Jobs program was awarded in 2018 to the Community Media Advocacy Centre, an organization linked to activist Laith Marouf, whose past statements included calls for violence against Jews.At the time, program officials noted the group was “in good standing” with no issues identified, according to a partially redacted file released through access-to-information laws.Miller previously denied knowledge of the grant when questioned in 2022, saying he could not recall the organization among hundreds of applications in his downtown Montréal riding.“In a place like downtown Montréal hundreds of organizations get slots allocated for summer students,” Miller said at the time. “I’ve never heard of this group.”However, records show the Community Media Advocacy Centre was one of only two organizations in his riding approved by his office that year, raising questions about how the application was vetted..The Canada Summer Jobs program is unique among federal grants in requiring MPs to review and recommend applicants, even as demand far exceeds available funding, with tens of thousands of applicants typically rejected.Miller later suggested the funding should be clawed back if confirmed but has since declined to answer further questions on the matter.The organization was led by Laith Marouf, a longtime activist who had previously been removed from a student leadership role at Concordia University over anti-Jewish graffiti and later received additional federal contracts, including more than $133,000 from Canadian Heritage as an anti-racism consultant.Marouf’s social media history includes repeated derogatory comments targeting Jews and Zionists, including posts that referenced violence. His account was suspended in 2021 for violating platform policies on hateful conduct.Despite this, his organization’s funding application described its mandate as promoting non-discrimination across a range of categories, though it did not explicitly mention religion.
