Birju Dattani

Birju Dattani is a Canadian lawyer and human rights professional who is a senior fellow at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dattani was previously appointed as Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission in 2024. He was forced to resign before starting his role due to accusations of antisemitism, although an investigation by a third-party law firm found no evidence of antisemitism.

Early life and education Dattani was born in Calgary, Alberta, to parents who were refugees from Uganda. He later attended the University of Wales and the London School of Economics.

Career Prior to his federal appointment, Dattani served as the executive director of the Yukon Human Rights Commission. However, pro-Israel organizations accused Dattani of antisemitism when he was a graduate student ten years ago using the alias Mujahid Dattani, prompting justice minister Arif Virani to order an independent law firm investigation. Dattani denied knowing that the other panellist was a member of the group and said "I wholeheartedly disagree with and condemn Hizb ut-Tahrir". It also stated that Dattani had demonstrated "a high degree of self-awareness and sensitivity to the current challenges faced by the Jewish community in Canada as well as a commitment to continue to learn about those challenges in the future." He also noted that he did not emphasize his past scholarship because he focused on his most relevant work experience.

Defamation Lawsuits In February 2025, Dattani filed defamation lawsuits against Conservative Party of Canada deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, right-wing commentator Ezra Levant, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs alleging they mischaracterized him as antisemitic and connected to terrorism even after the independent third party investigation found these allegations to be unfounded. His fundraising project for the lawsuits fell short as he failed to raise more than a quarter of his aim.