A day after Attorney General Tyler Shandro publicly ordered the head of Alberta’s human rights commission to resign, the commissioner’s office took the issue back, saying it’s Shandro who hires and fires.
“The commission does not have any information to share on the status of Collin May’s resignation,” the Alberta Human Rights Commission said in an emailed statement Tuesday.
“The minister of justice and attorney general is in charge of managing who is designated as head of the commission and the courts.
“Please contact (your office).”
Shandro’s office declined to comment.
It’s the latest twist on a problem that plagued Collin May even before he was officially named head of the commission in July.
At the time, critics pointed to a book review he wrote in 2009 and said the article raised concerns that May was Islamophobic and therefore unfit to serve as head of the commission dedicated to ensuring that residents of Alberta are free from discrimination.
May responded in a statement, categorically rejecting the Islamophobic accusations and vowing to “commit to continuing my personal education about Islam and all religions.”
“I will meet with leaders of the Muslim community in Alberta to learn more about their lived experiences in Alberta and work to overcome discrimination against the Islamic community,” he added.
Matters came to a head on Monday when the National Council of Canadian Muslims published an open letter accusing May of failing to meet despite repeated attempts to contact him.
The council said May’s intransigence called into question her commitment to learning and reflection, and her letter was signed by 28 Muslim community groups.
Hours later, Shandro’s office issued a statement reiterating that May had promised more than two months ago to meet with the Muslim community.
“Minister Shandro requested an explanation from Mr May,” Shandro’s office wrote. “After reviewing the explanation, Minister Shandro has called for Mr May’s resignation.”
The statement did not elaborate on the conversation or what specifically triggered the call to resign.
Said Omar, a spokesman for the Muslim council, said he was pleased that Shandro had called for the resignation.
He said May has not contacted the group since sending the letter, and it may be too late for him to make amends anyway.
“We are always open to meeting individuals and trying to reconcile, but I think at this point the community has spoken,” Omar said in an interview.
May, a Calgary-based attorney, was appointed to the commission in 2019. In previous years, he has contributed articles to C2C Journal, an online and print publication that focuses on political, cultural and economic issues.
In June 2009, he reviewed Efraim Karsh’s book “Islamic Imperialism: A History,” which examines the cultural forces and attitudes that have shaped the religion.
In one line of the review, May notes that the book asserts that “Islam is not a peaceful religion misused by radicals. Rather, it is one of the most militaristic religions known to man, and it is precisely this militaristic heritage that informs the actions of radicals throughout the Muslim world.”
The Muslim council has focused on that paragraph in its criticism, characterizing it as an “outrageous” and stigmatizing stereotype.
Opposition NDP Justice critic Irfan Sabir echoed May’s impeachment call, saying on Monday: “Muslims in Canada are harassed, assaulted and killed simply because of their faith.”
However, May and the editors of her article disagree.
May, in her July statement, said: “I want to make it clear that I do not believe or accept the characterization of Islam as a religion or a militant movement.”
C2C Journal editors George Koch and Peter Shawn Taylor, in a rebuttal posted on their site in July, said May made it clear that it was the book’s author’s point of view, not her own, in the controversial paragraph.
“Whether a reviewer agrees or disagrees with an author’s position, they have a duty to convey the book’s thesis in good faith,” the editors wrote.
“Critics and complainers simply went for the worst possible interpretation as natural,” they added.
“This type of behavior has become shockingly common and is doing great damage to public discourse in Canada.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 13, 2022.