The Commissioner of the RCMP is facing calls for his resignation over the Arar affair, and while the official line from the government is that he’ll stay on, I can’t say the various comments amount to a ringing endorsement of the Commissioner: Tories sidestep issue of Zaccardelli’s future. For example, the Foreign Minister commented earlier this week:
And just yesterday, a new issue broke: allegations that the top RCMP brass took a “go-slow” approach to investigating charges of nepotism and misuse of funds within the RCMP itself, meaning that a limitation period has kicked in and no action can be taken against the targets of the probe:
ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. Attorney General: We were not responsible for his removal to Syria. I’m not aware that he was tortured, and I haven’t read the commission report.
Unbelievable. :rolleyes:
Does the US Attorney General think people are sent to Syria for the weather? Perhaps he should Google for ‘Abu Graib’ ‘CIA flights’ and ‘current US torture policy’…
Late last month, Commissioner Zaccardelli, the head of the RCMP, appeared before the Commons Committee on Public Safety to testify on the Arar affair. The first thing he did was apologize to Mr. Arar:
And, more recently, Prime Minister Harper has directed that the Foreign Minister send a formal protest to President Bush about Mr. Arar’s treatment at the hands of US officials:
Mr. Arar is still waiting for an apology from Mr. Harper, who’s not said no, but not apologized, either. Speculation in the media is that the PM’s been advised by the federal gov’t lawyers not to comment while settlement negotiations with Mr. Arar are under way.
Maybe at his next press conference, he should take the opportunity to ask the reporters a few questions in order to find out what his department is doing.
Thanks for the updates, Northern Piper.
I don’t watch or read the news religiously, but it doesn’t seem like this kind of (important) story gets much attention down here. That’s the so-called “liberal mass media” for you. Liberal, my ass. Frontline, I think it was, promised a follow-up. They’re likely waiting for conclusion.
You guys got room up there for just one more old, tired, and retired (pot smoking) liberal ;).
Je ne parle pas français. But I do google. For what that’s worth.
Peace,
mangeorge
1. RCMP Commisioner Resigns over Inaccurate Testimony to Commons Committee
Commissioner Zaccardelli resigned earlier this month. It sounds like he’d lost the confidence of several key Cabinet members (notably the Minister of Public Safety, to whom the Commissioner reports). The final nail in his coffin was that he had to go back in front of the Commons committee and admit that he had given inaccurate testimony when he was in front of them in September, about the key issue of when he personally knew about the false information that the Mounties sent to the US authorities in the Arar affair. That was it - he resigned the next day: Zaccardelli insists he told the truth about Arar. (If you use the news feature on Google.ca for “Zaccardelli” you’ll get some more articles.) 2. Federal Commission of Inquiry Recommends More Oversight of Intelligence Agencies
As a follow-up, the Commission of Inquiry has released Part II of its findings, recommending much more comprehensive over-sight committees, not just for the Mounties but for all federal intelligence agencies, including giving the watchdogs subpoena powers to get information from the Mounties: Highlights of the Second O’Connor Report. Mr. Arar says he’s pleased with the final report, but would like to see more personal accountability within the Mounties for the officers responsible for the faulty information to the US authorities. 3. Minister of Public Safety Orders Inquiry into Three Other Cases
Three other Canadians of Arab background have alleged that they were detained in Syria based on faulty information that came from the Mounties. The Minister has appointed a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Canada to look into those allegations: Day Orders Inquiry into cases of Three Deportees. 4. The American Ambassador Doesn’t Accept O’Connor Findings; Arar’s still on the US watchlist
Thanks, Piper, for the update. The USBS goes on.
I don’t think inquiring into and exposing governmental abuse of personal freedom is pointless at all.
Peace,
mangeorge
Some progress today: the Canadian Foreign Minister has raised the issue of Arar’s status on the US watch list with Secretary of State Rice, and she has asked Homeland Security to review the issue: U.S. Reviewing Arar Status: Rice. However, the same article indicates that Homeland Security still refuses to share with Canada what they say was additional information from another source that keeps Mr. Arar on the U.S. watch list.
Follow-up (after Mr. Arar returned), which involved: further investigations in a vain effort to prove that their inaccurate speculations had been true; leaking false reports to the media, impugning Mr. Arar’s credibity; defending themselves in the judicial inquiry and general ass-covering: $4.1 million.
Of course he should remain on the American watch list. If he was not a terrorist before, he should be now following his being stolen away and tortured.
Seriously, the entire affair disgusts me. The USA has gone off the edge when it comes to ignoring human rights, and much to my shame, Canada has to some degree supported the USA to this end.
I know you meant that as a joke, but in one of the articles I read, a US official used exactly that logic. He said that one of the criteria for being on the watch list is having been previously removed from the U.S. by U.S. immigration officials. Since Mr. Arar was removed, he meets that criterion and stays on the list.
Hey, it’s cool. I grew up watching the cartoon version. As cartoon stereotypes for a nation goes, having a reputation for sterling honesty (although a bit dim) isn’t that bad!
Only our boys are worse. They still haven’t copped.