Birju Dattani failed to disclose his alter ego, but the government didn't seem to look very hard

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The federal Liberals had two years to make sure the guy appointed to head the Canadian Human Rights Commission wasn’t wholly inappropriate for the job — and they failed.

On Monday, incoming human rights commissioner Birju Dattani resigned before he could even take his chair. He had, according to the external law firm tasked with investigating his appointment, “intentionally omitted” key information about his past in relevant forms and interviews. Namely, his record of speaking at anti-Israel academic functions.

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It’s good news, but only in the most direct sense. Dattani was the wrong man for the job, and it’s a relief that he won’t get to carry it out. The fact that his application got as far as it did, and that his position is poised to come with new online censorship powers, are of grave concern.

Dattani’s appointment, if you may recall, inspired a good bit of public furor. Shortly after his appointment was announced in mid-June, media and Jewish groups trawled up old records created under his Islamic name, Mujahid Dattani. The government launched an investigation and, with the resulting report’s release, he resigned.

The complication comes down to a name. Born Birju, Dattani adopted Mujahid when he converted to Islam in 2001. He switched back to largely using Birju in 2017. He therefore has two paper trails: one for Birju Dattani, and another for Mujahid Dattani. In his initial 2022 application for commissioner, he didn’t list Mujahid as a name; in a 2024 background check form, he included “Birju Mujahid” as a name — but not just........

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