Conservative War Crimes

New Canada's New Government says to hell with those treaties we signed. Geneva Conventions, what Geneva Conventions? The Conservative Party of Canada is coming out fully in favour of an extralegal tribunal determining the fate of child soldier Omar Khadr. The Conservative majority on the Foreign Affairs Committee has alleged that opposition calls for the repatriation of Khadr, in order to deal with him under the rule of law, are somehow a political gambit. The Conservative government, under Stephen Harper, prefers to sanction an illegal trial by a dubious military tribunal, the designs of which have been repeatedly slapped down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Our allies to the south have done away with such niggling hassles as due process, habeas corpus and disclosure of documents needed to make a full and fair defense. Khadr was 15 years of age at the time of his capture, a child soldier. Distasteful as his story and his actions might be, regardless of how detestable his family are, he was a child soldier. Canada is in breach of legal and moral responsibilities, not only are we now ignoring the young man's plight in an illegal gulag, we are giving the American regime our blessing. Canada, under Stephen Harper, has abandoned the rule of law and embraced torture and war crimes as part of our national policy. Stephen Harper and his government have declared their public approval and thus complicity in the war crimes committed by the American government.

The sham of a committee, chaired by Conservative Kevin Sorenson, has turned a blind eye to all notions of justice and rule of law, preferring to side with torturers and their trumped up kangaroo court.

The Conservatives' report cites testimony by American lawyer Howard Anglin, a government witness at the committee's hearings, who said Canada has no legal obligations to Khadr, but merely "moral obligations at best."
It quotes Anglin's testimony in support of military commissions, such as the proceedings Khadr is now facing in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges.
It pointed to Anglin's view that traditional courtrooms are inadequate because in battlefield arrests, "many witnesses are dead, there's no forensic detective squad to document the scene, and most of the surviving witnesses are serving overseas at the time of the trial."

When determining Canadian points of law, is it our Conservative government's policy to seek opinions from American lawyers brought north to plead the illegal and partisan cause? Why yes, yes it is. Mr Anglin seems to be saying that Mr Khadr can't receive a fair trial in the civil system, as no worthy case against him can be made. Thus it is best to detain him illegally for more than half a decade and then drag him before a trumped up commission in order to declare him guilty. Given that documentary evidence in his case is either withheld or tampered with, witnesses are unavailable and physical and forensic evidence is non-existent it would appear Mr Khadr will face his fate with no advocacy in his defense.

The Conservatives argue that since Canada signed the Transfer of Offenders Treaties in 1978, 1,351 Canadians who were tried and convicted abroad have been repatriated to Canada, but only after courts abroad dealt with them.
The Tories' report says the opposition selectively highlighted testimony to downplay Khadr's "alleged crimes and ties to terrorism" and to portray him "as a victim."
"It is important that a balance be struck between individual rights and national security considerations – not to mention obligations to the international struggle against terrorism.
"Mr. Khadr could become a litmus test on Canada's commitment to impeding global terrorism," it states. "The results of our actions today could result in consequences that are not in the long-term interest of the country."

When Canada abandons the rule of law, ignores the Geneva Conventions, sides with a government that illegally renders individuals from third countries, detains people in black site prisons and practices torture against those detainees, how exactly are we different from the terrorists?