Conservative Members of Parliament are accusing the federal Liberal government of concealing a confidential settlement agreement with Laith Marouf, a consultant previously funded to deliver anti-racism seminars who has been widely accused of posting virulently antisemitic content online.
Revelation of a Confidential Settlement
The allegations came to light after Ontario MP Melissa Lantsman and Alberta MP Rachael Thomas received information through a written parliamentary inquiry. The government confirmed a settlement was reached in March of this year but stated details could not be disclosed due to a binding confidentiality clause.
Marouf's organization, the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), received $133,000 from Canadian Heritage's Anti-Racism Action Program in July 2021. The funding was intended for a series of consultative events in Montreal, Vancouver, and Halifax. Marouf, a senior consultant for CMAC, was to lead these anti-racism seminars.
Funding Suspended Amid Hate Speech Allegations
In August 2022, Canadian Heritage suspended its support and funding after officials became aware of alleged social media posts by Marouf. According to the Conservative MPs' joint statement, these posts included Marouf referring to Jewish people as "loud-mouthed bags of human feces" and expressing violent fantasies.
Although Marouf's X (formerly Twitter) account was private, screenshots circulated online. The Canadian Press reported these screenshots, which showed Marouf's name and photo, were not independently verified but were deemed credible. At a Heritage committee meeting in February 2023, then-associate deputy minister Mala Khanna acknowledged receiving an email containing one of the offensive tweets.
Further allegations surfaced during committee testimony, including that Marouf referred to an Indigenous person as a "house slave" in a 2021 post and used the slur "frogs" for French-speaking Quebecers, as reported by the CBC.
Unreturned Funds and Legal Defence
By the time funding was cut off, $122,661 of the original $133,000 grant had already been paid out. Despite demands for repayment, this significant sum has not been returned to taxpayers. The settlement revealed this week appears to resolve the outstanding financial dispute.
Marouf did not respond to requests for comment from the National Post. In 2022, his lawyer, Stephen Ellis, told The Canadian Press that Marouf holds no animosity toward Jewish people as a group. Ellis argued the controversial tweets were specifically directed at "Jewish white supremacists" and should be quoted in full context.
The case has sparked severe criticism of the government's vetting processes for grant recipients. MPs have questioned how an individual accused of promoting hate could be approved to lead a federally funded anti-racism initiative, leading to calls for greater transparency and accountability in the disbursement of public funds.
