Khadr settlement a travesty of justice
The recent $10.5 million settlement to Omar Khadr is a disgraceful and shameful act by the Canadian government. Khadr should not profit from his actions as a combatant in the service of an oppressive and violent ideology. In a recent survey 71 per cent of Canadians agreed, and I am sure that many more are silently opposed to this travesty of justice.
What is more, the arguments in his favour are specious and false. There was no complete judicial process which legally granted Khadr his money. Justin Trudeau simply gave him cash, something that is not part of the justice process. Second, victimization or suffering in the service of a cause does not necessarily mean cash compensation should take place. If it did then all members of the military should be compensated, as should anyone who has suffered in any capacity in the service of virtually any cause, or suffered because of any trial they felt was unjustified.
It was the Liberal government of Paul Martin that initially brushed off Omar Khadr’s first $100,000 legal case on the grounds that it was an American affair. As for his childhood status he was no younger than many Canadian teenagers who lied so that they could fight in WWI and WWII. The difference is that they knew they were fighting for a noble cause whereas Khadr’s was despicable.
The Canadian public knows injustice when they see it, and are reacting appropriately. Like so many other Canadian citizens I grow weary of Trudeau’s nonsensical statements, laws limiting charter rights and arbitrary decisions based on his personal sentiments. He should act like a prime minister not a zealot or partisan political advocate.
Although there is some confusion related to all this, there are some things that we probably need not wonder about. One of them is that some of that $10.5 million is now on its way to the Middle East to various organizations. I will leave your readers to imagine which ones and how the funds will be used.
Perry Foster
Duncan