Canadian flag. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
In August of this year, B’nai Brith Canada implored several Canadian government agencies to deny a work permit to Azarova and noted the emergence of antisemitic conspiracies regarding the university’s decision not to hire her.
Despite an independent review of Azarova’s hiring decision in March determining that the university had made its decision because she was ineligible for a work visa, “many opponents continue to fantasize about reality and charge that the real reason for refusal of the recommendation of the search committee was an antisemitic conspiracy: Jewish power, influence and money,” B’nai Brith said at the time.
After the choice not to hire Azarova, the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association retaliated with an attempt to damage Spiro’s reputation and livelihood by complaining that his impartiality was in question, the Globe and Mail said.
Chief Justice Rossiter then wrote to the Council saying, “The Tax Court has taken the initiative, for perception purposes, of having all files that have been assigned to Justice Spiro … reviewed by the Associate Chief Justice of the Tax Court of Canada to ensure that, to the best of the Associate Chief Justice’s assessment … no files upon which he will adjudicate will have, as parties or agents or counsel, anyone who could be thought of as being of Muslim, or of the Islamic faith.”
Sophie Matte, a Tax Court spokeswoman, told the Globe and Mail that “the Tax Court of Canada wishes to reiterate its commitment to impartiality to all litigants who appear before the Court and to the Canadian public.”
