Diversity minister defends why it took him a month to issue statement about antisemitic tweets

OTTAWA—Diversity Minister Ahmed Hussen says he assumed the proper vetting of a government grant to an organization whose consultant had a history of tweeting antisemitic remarks had been completed by the time he took on his current role.“The funding was already approved in the summer of 2021, before I became the minister responsible for the file,” Hussen told members of the House of Commons heritage committee on Friday.“We trusted at that time that adequate vetting had been completed. However, as we’ve said, this individual fell through the cracks.”Hussen took on the diversity file, a portfolio previously held by Bardish Chagger, in October 2021.The minister was fielding questions about Laith Marouf, a senior consultant with the Canadian Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), which received a $133,000 grant from Heritage Canada to build an anti-racism strategy for the broadcasting sector.In late August, a wave of antisemitic tweets posted by Marouf came to light, including one that referenced “Jewish white supremacists” and called them “loud-mouthed bags of human feces.” In screenshots of other tweets, Marouf appeared to suggest inciting violence against certain groups, referred to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell as a “Jamaican house-slave” and expressed anti-francophone sentiment.Hussen repeatedly sought to explain Friday what actions his department has taken to ensure the vetting process for grants is overhauled, but was less forthcoming about why it took him more than a month to issue a statement about the tweets after they were first brought to his attention.The minister said Liberal MP Anthony Housefather initially shared Marouf’s social media posts with him on July 19 or 20. His first public statement on the controversy was issued Aug. 21, when he called the tweets “reprehensible and vile.” He announced he had cut funding to CMAC the next day. Hussen said program officers now undergo improved vetting training, and his department is working on new conditions in funding agreements that would let Ottawa intervene immediately if organizations or individuals promote hate or discrimination. Applicants must also promise they have created “an environment free from harassment, abuse and discrimination.” Going forward, anyone who sees their funding pulled will not be permitted to apply again. When Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman asked why it took him so long to publicly discuss the matter, Hussen said his department “had obviously much less information than we do today.”“Right away, I asked my office to look into the situation and provide me with options to address this quickly,” he said. “Do I wish that we’d been able to move the process along more quickly? Absolutely.”Pressed on what information he was missing in July, Hussen only said he was working the Heritage Department to look into funding details related to CMAC and consulting “the legal department” to follow processes necessary for suspending the funding. In a heated moment, Conservative MP Rachel Thomas took issue with the minister’s handling of the situation, stating he “stood on the sidelines” and “blamed it on a system, when you as an individual with a conscience, with a heart, hopefully with an ounce of integrity” could have acted earlier. But if Canadians were hoping for MPs to further grill Hussen and other government officials, attempts to do so were scuppered by committee members spending the rest of the meeting debating a motion.Thomas made a motion seeking to invite Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez to testify about CMAC’s funding, as well as about reports the organization could still receive money for participating in consultations held by the Canadian Radio-television Communications Commission (CRTC). The meeting adjourned without voting on the motion or hearing from the three remaining heritage officials. In response to Thomas’s motion, Rodriguez’s office said it was “disappointed” by the CRTC’s decision. “Funds should never go to an organization that demonstrates xenophobia, racism and antisemitism. Canadians expect this principle to apply to all public and private institutions,” spokesperson Laura Scaffidi told the Star in a statement.Raisa Patel is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @R_SPatel