Roundup: The Khadr settlement

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News that Omar Khadr’s lawyers have reached a settlement with the government for some $10 million over his mistreatment and violation of his rights set off a firestorm, particularly among Conservatives, who took to the Twitter Machine to perform some outrage and to virtue signal, ignoring all of the relevant facts about the case, like the fact that he was a child soldier, that he was tortured, subjected to an illegal court process, confessed under duress to a made-up offence and pled guilty under similar duress, and the fact that thrice the Supreme Court of Canada found that we violated his Charter rights. (The government, incidentally, will only confirm that there is a judicial process underway, nor have any Liberal MPs joined in the online fray). And before you ask, no, this isn’t just something to be worn by the Harper government, but goes back to the Chrétien and Martin governments.

https://twitter.com/aaronwherry/status/882238708904337408

And it cannot be understated, no matter what Khadr is accused of having done (and there is much disputed evidence that he could have thrown that grenade), the reason he would be getting compensation is because Canada violated his rights. And while Andrew MacDougall may explore the partisan point-scoring on Khadr, we cannot escape the simple fact that, as Stephanie Carvin drives home, that we are now paying the financial price for violating his rights for no tangible benefit. I would add that this financial penalty should also serve as a deterrent to future governments who think that they can get away with violating a Canadian’s rights and there not be any consequences. Amidst this, that a party that purports to be concerned with “law and order” to have trouble grasping with the basics of the rule of law, and coming up with a myriad of disingenuous justifications for ignoring said rule of law, is troubling. Oh, and the widow of the soldier that Khadr is alleged to have killed, and the other he is alleged to have blinded, are applying to the Canadian courts to claim his settlement (but I would be curious to see, if it makes it to trial, if their claims would hold up in court considering that they are based on charges and evidence that would not have stood up to Canadian law).

https://twitter.com/EmmMacfarlane/status/882304117607215104

https://twitter.com/EmmMacfarlane/status/882304426932932608

https://twitter.com/aradwanski/status/882311305104850946

Meanwhile, while all of this outrage is being performed, remember that these same conservatives who insist that he was fully capable of having the mens rea to commit war crimes (which there are no legal basis for) who also insist that fifteen-year-olds can’t consent to sex, or that they need parental consent to attend gay-straight alliance clubs at their schools. Because there’s so much logical consistency there.

Good reads:

  • In Dublin, Justin Trudeau met with the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) and talked about the benefits of CETA. Today he’s off see the Queen.
  • Trudeau’s scheduling apparently won’t let him go to Calgary Stampede this year, so you can cue the chorus of “See! I told you he hates us!” from the usual suspects.
  • People who aren’t registered lobbyists tried to lobby the PM, so I guess this means the PM can never fundraise again? Or something.
  • Both the Chief of Defence Staff and defence minister have apologised for the incident involving “Proud Boy” navy members in Halifax on Saturday, and vow action.
  • The government’s plans to add another 600 special forces to the ranks is apparently overdue because we’re already stretched beyond capacity.
  • The government got a hearing date at the Quebec Court of Appeal to hold off on the Indian registration system being completely shut down while S-3 remains in limbo.
  • The government is apparently planning to spend $2.1 billion on border infrastructure in order to unclog some bottlenecks.
  • The Chinese ambassador blames the media for hurting trade relations because we insist on talking about things like human rights and censorship.
  • Incidentally, the Saudi ambassador wants the Canadian government to mind its own business with regard to that jailed blogger whose family lives in Canada.
  • Here’s a look into judicial training when it comes to sexual assault and human trafficking.
  • The government has no plans to go ahead with the Canadian Geographic contest to name a national bird (which you knew was going to happen).
  • Maxime Bernier’s former campaign director has set up a website for the “Libertarian wing of the party.” They’re more united than ever!
  • The deadline has now passed for entry into the NDP leadership race, and the five current challengers are the only ones with the paperwork and fees paid.
  • NDP MP Romeo Saganash has apologised for plagiarising from two different sources for an op-ed he submitted.
  • Joseph Heath has an interesting reflection on why Canada has managed to avoid the toxic populism of the United States and much of Europe.
  • My column looks at how Stephen Fletcher was ousted from the PC caucus in Manitoba, and why that augurs ill for Canadian democracy as a whole.

Odds and ends:

Rona Ambrose has now formally resigned from the House of Commons.

Andrew Scheer spent Canada Day in Charlottetown, and here are the photos.