The Department of Canadian Heritage has taken legal action in order to recoup funds it doled out to a consultant accused of posting antisemitic material online, deputy minister Isabelle Mondou said Thursday.
The federal government terminated a contract last year with the Community Media Advocacy Centre after it granted the group more than $122,000 for projects to help combat anti-racism.
Ottawa demanded the money back after Laith Marouf, a senior consultant with the centre, was accused of posting antisemitic content on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The matter is now before the courts, Mondou told a hearing of the House of Commons committee on Canadian Heritage. The department has also hired a collection agency and enlisted the help of the Canada Revenue Agency to help get the money back, she added.
“We made a request with the Canada Revenue Agency that as soon as money is received at the Canada Revenue Agency from that organization, that it will be transferred to us,” Mondou said.
“There is a procedure in court that has been filed. That’s for the recovery.”
The department has not provided additional details of the court action. Marouf did not immediately respond to…
Read the full article here