Liberals: What concrete steps did Cretin and Mr. Dithers take to help Omar Khadr?

*crickets chirp*

From the Toronto Star, June 6, 2007:

...

Certainly, MPs have not been falling over themselves to speak up for the rights of the 20-year-old Scarborough man. In the five years since Khadr's incarceration, his name has been raised in the Commons a total of once – by former New Democrat MP Svend Robinson. That happened in October 2002, shortly after U.S. troops wounded and captured the then 15-year-old after a fierce battle in Afghanistan.

Outside the Commons, politicians weren't much more vocal. At one point, then-NDP leader Alexa McDonough called on Ottawa to ensure that Khadr was accorded the full protection of international law. The then-Liberal government said that it would.

...

Nor, except for isolated comments like those of McDonough and Robinson, has the NDP been much better. On Monday, Windsor MP Joe Comartin made all of the appropriate civil liberties noises. But otherwise, the silence from that party has been deafening. I can find no record of NDP Leader Jack Layton uttering Khadr's name.

...

http://www.thestar.com/article/222068

(edit for typo)

The NDP and BQ should have done more, but which party was in power between 2002 and 2006? The Liberals, being the party in government, had a moral responsibility to stand up for the citizens they claim to govern and represent.

You correctly noted that the Liberal government did nothing for Khadr; I thought it would be interesting to see if the NDP had done anything for him. They may not have had power, but they had a voice.

In the end, no one was genuinely interested in Khadr while Liberals formed government. A damn shame.

Former prime minister Paul Martin said Sunday that Canada should lobby to bring back Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr.

“I think Bill Graham, who was foreign affairs minister at the time, said it the best. Which was, ‘If we had known then what we know now, then we would have taken strenuous steps to repatriate Mr. Khadr to Canada,' Mr. Martin told CTV's Question Period in an interview broadcast Sunday.

The former prime minister conceded that it is “easy” to operate with the benefit of hindsight, but said, “We should have repatriated him, and I believe that we should do it now.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article699414.ece

Committees count for something. They're where the actual work gets done.

http://www.google.ca/search?num=30&hl=en&safe=off&complete=0&biw=1024&bih=580&q=site%3Awww2.parl.gc.ca+khadr&btnG=Search

Searching site:www2.parl.gc.ca khadr

About 1,520 results (many, many duplicates, I hasten to note)


http://www2.parl.gc.ca/content/hoc/Committee/392/FAAE/Reports/RP3572352/faaerp07/faaerp07-e.pdf

THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
has the honour to present its
SEVENTH REPORT
Pursuant to its mandate under Standing Order 108(2), the Committee has studied the case of Omar Khadr and has agreed to report the following

... RECOMMENDATIONS

In light of these findings, the Subcommittee:

1. Recommends that the Government of Canada demand the immediate termination of Military Commission proceedings against Omar Khadr.

2. Expresses its objection to the position stated by the United States that it reserves the right to detain Omar Khadr as an “enemy combatant” notwithstanding an acquittal or the possible termination of proceedings.

3. Recommends that the Government of Canada demand Omar Khadr’s release from US custody at Guantanamo Bay to the custody of Canadian law enforcement officials as soon as practical.

4. Calls on the Director of Public Prosecutions to investigate, and, if warranted, prosecute Omar Khadr for offences under Canadian law.

5. Recommends that the Government of Canada take such measures as are necessary to ensure that possible security concerns are appropriately and adequately addressed upon the repatriation of
Omar Khadr.

6. Calls on the Government of Canada to take appropriate measures that are consistent with Canada’s obligations under Article 7 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and with Canadian law.

7. In particular, the Subcommittee calls on the relevant Canadian authorities to ensure that an appropriate rehabilitation and reintegration program is developed for Omar Khadr, which takes into account legitimate security concerns. To the extent necessary, such a program could place judicially enforceable conditions on Omar Khadr’s conduct.

It's also worth reading the Committee's findings, etc.

Oh, and of course, don't miss:

DISSENTING OPINION OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF CANADA


Yes, it was easy for the Liberal Party to oppose, when in opposition, and I realize this does not address its inaction when in power, and I don't disagree with the criticism of the Liberal Party in any way.

I'm just pointing out that parliamentarians have not been as silent as has been suggested.

took him off to war, they would have made a fuss about it. What we keep hearing is that he was a 15 year old when captured. That is bad enough, but what 13 year old would defy his father? That is an important fact that I think could have made a great difference.

Defending the rights of an identified terrorist is politically toxic, even if the terrorist is a child.

That's why all of the parties failed to mount a serious challenge to what was happening.

If there's a lesson to be learned here, it isn't that one party stood out and did the right thing. They were all derelict in defending Khadr's rights.

That's how fucking pathetic Canadian politicians are.