A member of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s multiculturalism council has resigned after photos of antisemitic posts resurfaced online.
The council, established on Friday, aims to provide advice to government officials about how Alberta can be a more inclusive province for residents. The council also aims to promote cultural diversity in the province and help build inclusive communities.
Tariq Khan, a Calgary realtor and a candidate for Ward 5 during the 2021 municipal election, was listed as a member but tendered his resignation on Monday, according to the premier’s office.
Khan also sought the United Conservative nomination for Calgary-Northeast for the 2019 provincial election but his candidacy was not accepted by the party.
“The premier denounces all forms of intolerance and hate. Tariq Khan has offered his resignation and the premier has accepted,” said Rebecca Polak, Smith’s press secretary.
This comes after the Alberta NDP issued a statement on Monday morning calling on Smith to remove Khan from the council for antisemitic social media posts made years ago.
In photos obtained by Global News, Khan posted a picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eating an infant on Facebook in 2014.
He also shared videos calling the Holocaust a hoax on his Facebook page in 2013.
QR Calgary reached out to Khan with a request for comment, but he declined, saying he doesn’t know all the information surrounding the resignation.
Alberta’s multiculturalism critic Jasvir Deol said Khan’s comments have no place in Smith’s council nor in Alberta.
“Albertans deserve better than this,” Deol said in a news release on Monday. “It’s time for better leadership from a government that doesn’t associate itself with people with extreme views.”