CBC promotes pro-Palestine report funded by Liberal-appointee Amira Elghawaby

The CBC is now citing research that was secretly funded by Liberal-appointed Islamophobia czar Amira Elghawaby, despite earlier denials by her office that any public money was involved in the study.

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The CBC is now citing research that was secretly funded by Liberal-appointed Islamophobia czar Amira Elghawaby, despite earlier denials by her office that any public money was involved in the study.

Blacklock’s Reporter’s access to information records show that Elghawaby, Canada’s authorized an $80,000 payment to York University’s Islamophobia Research Hub for a report focused on “anti-Palestinian racism” following the October 7 Hamas attacks. Elghawaby’s office previously denied any such funding.

“It has never made a donation to the Islamophobia Research Hub at York University,” a spokesperson told Blacklock’s at the time.

Turns out that statement was false. Records reveal Elghawaby signed a January 6 memorandum of arrangement transferring $80,000 to the research hub—funding which was never publicly disclosed.

The “Documenting the Palestine Exception” report was unveiled at a Parliament Hill press conference in August. Elghawaby endorsed the findings without revealing her office’s financial involvement, telling reporters the report would help inform advice she provides to the government.

According to Blacklocks, draft versions of the report complained of “systemic biases in media,” criticized the CBC for insufficient “Palestinian perspectives,” urged recognition of Nakba Day, and called for greater accountability for politicians and media figures accused of spreading “disinformation.”

The research claimed that criticism of pro-Palestinian activism is a form of racism requiring institutional oversight.

Notably, Elghawaby previously worked for the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the same organization now using the report’s conclusions to reinforce claims of rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.

CBC News published an article about an alleged knife threat against a Muslim Uber driver in Montreal following an NCCM press release claiming a passenger “demanded the driver reveal his Muslim faith before allegedly pulling out a knife,” threatening to “slit [his] throat.”

The incident remains under police investigation, with no arrests and no confirmation that it constitutes the incident as a hate crime. Still, the CBC went ahead and prominently featured NCCM CEO Stephen Brown, who used the allegation as evidence of a nationwide “rise in hate crimes.”

What’s more concerning is that CBC referenced the York University Islamophobia Research Hub report as context for Brown’s claims — the same research that was secretly funded by Elghawaby’s office.

Brown cautioned that “more information is needed to verify all facts,” even as Montreal police continue to investigate the alleged knife threat.

“When people aren’t able to differentiate between radical Islamists and an Uber driver, this is the kind of thing that happens,” Brown told the CBC, urging politicians and public leaders to speak out.

As of publication, the Montreal police have only confirmed that they’re investigating the incident. They have yet to determine the motive. No charges laid, and no confirmation that the alleged incident meets the threshold for a hate crime.