The time is now for Canada to defend its citizens
Editor's
Notebook
Wendy Peters
I really wouldn’t want to find myself at odds with a foreign
country, especially if I happened to be in that country at the time of
any alleged transgressions.
Why? Well, the Canadian government doesn’t exactly
lead the pack when it comes to defending its citizens abroad. There are
some exceptions — MP Dan McTeague is one example of a fighter of human
rights — but the top brass remain silent.
 The
case of Omar Kadr is the most infamous and egregious. No matter how
unsavoury the entire Kadr family might be with their fanatical beliefs,
what has happened to that boy is a crime; starting with the way his
family reared him, to the treatment by his captors at Guantanamo Bay and
the absence of intervention from the Canadian government since his arrest
close to six years ago. Why is it that other Western countries with
prisoners at Guantanamo (England and Australia) have secured release for
their citizens, but Canada remains officially mute on the subject?
Kadr was only 15 years old at the time of his arrest;
that fact alone should have prompted intervention by our government. Soon
a U.S. military court that most countries don’t even recognize will try
him on murder charges that some allege are bogus. Yet, the Canadian feds
have not uttered one word of complaint.
Another prime case of lack of government involvement
was the Feb. 20, 2006 murder in Cancun, Mexico of Dominic and Annunziata
Ianiero, a Canadian couple from Woodbridge who were at the resort to
celebrate the wedding of their daughter. As if the murder itself wasn’t
bad enough, the ensuing investigation turned into a complete farce.
Quintano Roo Attorney General Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo was the
lead clown. He has steadfastly refused
to have his own people implicated, even though a former resort
security guard seems to be the prime suspect. In an obvious ploy to
preserve Mexico’s $12 billion tourism industry, Rodriguez instead
pointed the finger at two Thunder Bay women who visited the resort, as
well as the Ianiero’s son, Anthony. All hogwash, but our government
just sat on its hands.
Cheryl Everall and Kimberly Kim, the two single
mothers from Thunder Bay, as well as the Ianiero family, who hired famed
lawyer Eddie Greenspan to help, have said they feel betrayed by the
Department of Foreign Affairs. The murder remains unsolved.
The latest victim of the government’s lack of
assistance is Brenda Martin, a Canadian who has been in a Mexican jail
since February 2006. She is charged with some kind of Internet scam,
although her former boss, who is serving time in a U.S. jail, has signed
a sworn statement that exonerates her from any link to the scam.
Brenda Martin is reportedly down to a stress-related
weight of 94 lbs. and has been under a suicide watch because of her frail
mental state. Her long-time friend is keeping her story in the news,
certainly without the help of the government.
However, former PM Paul Martin visited Brenda in her
Guadalajara jail cell on March 12 after flying there from a meeting in
Mexico City. He spent a reported 45 minutes with her and assured her he
would keep pressing her case wherever he could. This is far more than any
government representative has undertaken on her behalf to date.
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier had sent “a
diplomatic note to Mexico.” A note. “Please may I be excused from
gym?” is a note.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is “concerned” and
“considering several options,” according to Conservative MP Rick
Norlock. Good heavens, how would any of us feel if this was the official
response toward helping a loved one in some similar predicament? How do
people keep their cool?
I truly believe that if the Prime Minister of Canada
or at least another TOP government official became authoritatively and
publicly involved, many of these matters would be resolved. For now, the
silence is deafening. WP
We Welcome Your Comments On
Our Blog
"Click Here"
wpeters@busexec.com
|
