Omar Khadr Settlement

The Federal Government made a financial settlement for Mr. Omar Khadr in July 2017.  The announcement came after Parliament recessed for the summer and as the Prime Minister was leaving for the G20 Summit.  So much for accountability to answer questions.

The major problem I have with a government settlement is that Canadians did not get to hear why Mr. Khadr felt he deserved a financial settlement or what the various arguments were.  Mr. Khadr’s case for compensation deserved to be heard in a Canadian court.  This is important for transparency of the claim and more so to ensure we get a judicial decision and not a political decision.  Let the court make a judicial decision and if a settlement was warranted then at least the Canadian people can debate the merits of all the arguments.  The Liberal government did not allow this to happen and choose instead to make a significant financial settlement to a convicted terrorist.

My personal opinion is I find it difficult to justify how this country can pay money to a terrorist.

Prime Minister Trudeau recognized that Mr. Khadr is a convicted murderer and a convicted terrorist.  You can find these comments online as well as Prime Minister Trudeau advising that Mr. Khadr needs his rights and freedoms protected as any other Canadian. I thought criminals had limitations put on their rights and freedoms?

You can also view a video online, referred to in a National Post article, where Mr. Khadr wss making improvised explosive devices (IED’s).  I have to wonder who the victims were when these IED’s were detonated? I wonder how their rights and freedoms were protected?

The other problem I have with this quiet, political decision is that it intentionally ignored a United States court judgment against Mr. Khadr assets by the widow of the US soldier who died from a grenade that Mr. Khadr admitted throwing. Another US soldier was disabled in this same attack and was also a party to the successful US court judgement.  Mr. Khadr gets 10.5 million dollars, tax free, and these victims get nothing.  Not quite the way I would treat our US neighbor and ally.

My second cup is now empty………………….

Author: Brian

I'm a retired CPA living in Western Canada. I enjoy travelling, reading and discussing current events. With this blog, I hope to share experiences and create conversations that are relevant to our time.