Ottawa 'acted appropriately' over Arar: statement

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA (CP) ? The federal government insisted today that Canadian officials did not suggest to American authorities that Maher Arar be sent to Syria, nor did they turn a blind eye to his deportation.
In a bluntly worded opening statement to the commission of inquiry into Arar's ordeal, the government said "it is confident that its officials acted appropriately" in the case.
The statement of the attorney general's office, which comes on the eve of the inquiry's public hearings, represents the strongest defence of the government's actions in the Arar affair to date.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1087596609158&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037

This brings back a statement where his wife asked for help and the Reform party told her to "Get a life."
This was done by the official opposition at the time.

[struggle4progress]

1. Foreign policy is no political football

<snip>
The Alliance's stand on the Arar affair provides a glimpse of what may await Canadians with Mr. Harper at the helm. With Maher Arar languishing in a Syrian jail, the NDP, PC and the Bloc peppered the Liberals on the government's ineffectual efforts to win his release. The Alliance all but convicted Mr. Arar in Parliament. Mr. Harper accused Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham of participating "in high-level consultations to defend a suspected terrorist" (i.e. Mr. Arar), while Diane Ablonczy asked why the government "did not pick up on his terrorist links." Mr. Day insinuated that Mr. Arar was "dangerous," adding "we do know that from certain countries there are higher levels of people who seem to be involved in terrorism."

Will a Conservative government follow the neo-conservative agenda south of the border, at the expense of Canadian autonomy? Mr. Harper, who may be our next prime minister, needs to be more precise about policy differences between the two nations, beyond his vacuous observation that Canadian football requires three downs to gain 10 yards.
<snip>
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040618/COSHEE18/TPComment/TopStories

[Spazito]

2. Harper, up till now, has had an easy ride but his real agenda...

is now being brought up front and center and his polls are dropping. I have confidence in the Canadian people, they will slap the Liberals hard by serving them a minority government, forcing them to work with the New Democrats to stay in power, they will NOT give Harper and his extremists a majority government.

[struggle4progress]

3. Interesting!

:)