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Canadian PM to Apologize to Arar
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will give a formal apology to Maher Arar, the Canadian software engineer whom the United States detained and extradited to Syria, where he was brutally tortured.
The announcement, which appears to be a public rebuke of the official U.S. position that Arar may be a terrorist, is set for 12:15, according to Harper's office. Arar will hold a separate news conference at 2 p.m.
Arar's case has caused a deepening rift between Canada and the United States, which has to date refused to apologize for their treatment of Arar and will not remove him from its terrorist watch list. Yesterday, the National Post reported that the U.S. ambassador to Canada "scolded" a top Canadian offical for insisting Arar's name be removed from the U.S. watch list.
Bush Administration officials have delivered secret briefings to the Canadian government in the hopes of justifying Arar's presence on the watch list, but Canada continues to press the U.S. to clear Arar. "It simply does not alter our opinion that Mr. Arar is not a threat, nor is his family," Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said.
Update: CBC reports Canada will pay Arar $8 million plus legal fees to settle his case against them.
Comments (73)
Anonymous wrote on January 26, 2007 12:17 PM:Canada uses the same DHS watchlist for screening its own domestic passengers.
The Canadian government hasn't been able to put together a similar list.
There has been significant contraversy on the matter - as Canadian citizens wonder why the US has a say on who travels on their domestic flights.
Eric Smith wrote on January 26, 2007 12:18 PM:The newspaper is the "National Post", not the "Canada Post"
Caitlyn wrote on January 26, 2007 12:25 PM:I expect that if Pres. Bush shares one attribute with his father it is that he will not apologize for any US action. Keep in mind at after the USS Vincennes shot down the Iranian commercial airliner in the 1980's, Bush Sr. said that he would never apologize for the United States, regardless of the right or wrong of the action. I think neither men have had the confidence in themselves nor, unfortunately, in the country to be able to admit a mistake.
brianm0122 wrote on January 26, 2007 12:26 PM:Well, he COULD be a terrorist now, because he is still a bit ticked about that whole torture thing.
another example of the Shrub admin creating terrorists.
daver wrote on January 26, 2007 12:35 PM:Read Harper's anticipated words carefully.
This Bush clone will blame the whole affair on the previous Liberal government, like the winger's in the US blame Clinton for 9/11
Make no mistake, Harper's hand was forced here and he will do all he can to lay it at Cretien's feet
Bruce wrote on January 26, 2007 12:59 PM:Particularly ironic is that this Conservative Canadian government is the most likely in Canada to want to cooperate with the U.S.
I am probably to the economic right of most posters here at TPMM.com, but I am increasingly ashamed to be an American when I see what we have become. We never miss an opportunity to lord it over, it seems.
Ryan wrote on January 26, 2007 1:27 PM:Fantasy Harper press release:
"Canada is in the process of preparing its own terrorist watch list. Until such time as Maher Arar receives a full public apology from the United States government, and appropriate compensation, the names of George W. Bush and Alberto R. Gonzales will appear on Canada's terrorist watch list, and these men will be unwelcome to enter Canada."
Ian Marsman wrote on January 26, 2007 1:34 PM:No, Maher Arar is has not, is not, and never will be a terrorist. Mr. Arar has shown remarkable resolve and humanity that is an inspiration to me. He deserves to be given the Order of Canada for all he has done to show us the damage that can be done when we forget what truly makes us free. Unfortunately, he will forever bear the taint put on him by Canadian and American authorities. No amount of compensation can overcome that.
Yvon Thivierge wrote on January 26, 2007 2:25 PM:I had the RCMP banging on my door for writing on the Internet that Bush had to die because he represented a threat to world peace.
They questioned me on orders given them by the FBI through our benevolent pro-US conservative prime minister.
Stephen Harper is just going through the motions imposed on him by the Royal Commission's report, the opposition parties and the majority of Canadians.
He has too many socio-econimic affinities with the Bush gang of violent morons to really mean what he is saying and doing and is always quick to blame the previous Liberal government.
Ultimately, however, the onus is on the fascist U.S. government and its diabolic ambassador in Ottawa.
Yvon Thivierge
Anonymous wrote on January 26, 2007 2:37 PM:I'd do some Syrian waterboarding for $8 million. A lot of immigrants go through much worse in US/CA and still can't even afford to put their kids through college.
Northern Observer wrote on January 26, 2007 2:46 PM:It's all about liability. The US is probably liable to 100s of people who have been tortured as a result of American actions. The government is afraid of seting a precedent with Arar. Too bad. Sooner or later they will have to settle. I suspect that like much else the change will occur on January 20th, 2009 at 12:01 PM.
casam wrote on January 26, 2007 2:49 PM:To no name @ January 26, 2007 02:37 PM
mbbsdphil wrote on January 26, 2007 2:51 PM:There is no comment for someone this stupid!
Canada should promptly file a claim for reimbursement against the United States.
yellowdogD wrote on January 26, 2007 3:11 PM:Ditto the Canada government seeking reimbursement.
Peccadillo wrote on January 26, 2007 4:13 PM:casam, there is a lot of stupid out there.
I hope to hell that when our long national nightmare is over that Bush, Gonzales and Ashcroft get their asses hauled before the international courts.
An Off Broadway play opens on February 8th about the reality of extraordinary rendition. It is by a Canadian named David Gow and played in Canada under the title "Relative Good" It will appear in New York under the title "Arrivals" at Bank Street Theatre.
ryan phillipe wrote on January 26, 2007 4:53 PM:isn't there also a movie with reese witherspoon and jake gylenhaal (sp??) coming out soon about extraodinary rendition?
science wrote on January 26, 2007 5:20 PM:By persisting in its assertion that Arar is a security risk and, as Stockwell Day indicates, failing to provide evidence to justify that assertion, the US demonstrates that it is NOT A RELIABLE ALLY for Canada in security matters.
someguy wrote on January 26, 2007 5:23 PM:It's very reassuring to know there's a civilized government just a few hours drive away.
Jason Bo Green wrote on January 26, 2007 6:12 PM:Um, Harper is not "Mini-Bush", guys - our Conservative Party is pretty much the US Democrat party. Harper, Mulroney, Campbell, and Clark would all be very, very welcomed into Clinton and Gore and Obama's party.
Funny how so many people can't understand that...
John Smith wrote on January 26, 2007 6:48 PM:You can torture me any day for $8,000,000.00
Any takers?
Jim wrote on January 26, 2007 7:45 PM:Finally an apology! Now, we Canadians must stop supporting this bogus "War on Terror" before this happens to anyone else.
Jason: The Conservative party is a right-of-centre party, just like the Republican party is, in theory. Most Conservative Party members, especially those former members of the Canadian Alliance / Reform Party, would be more at home in the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. I could see the former Federal Progressive Conservative Party as an analogue to so-called "Conservative Democrats" in the US, but both are a really a watered down version of the right-wing.
Scott Tribe wrote on January 26, 2007 8:11 PM:Actually, the settlement ended up being 10.5 million $ + 1 million to cover Arar's legal fees.
Anonymous wrote on January 26, 2007 8:27 PM:A minor points: extraordinary rendition is not "extradition." They tried to force him to sign a "voluntary" removal order. He rightly refused. No legitimate legal extradition hearings were held. He was just put on a plane in the dead of night. He's still on the US watch list today, but they won't say any more that it's because he's a terrorist, but merely because he fits certain technical criteria. We all know he's on the list for one reason only: to prevent him from testifying to Leahy's committee. If Leahy really wants to stir things up and show Democratic spine, he should fly to Canada tomorrow and personally escort Arar to Washington with CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN in tow. I'd hate to be the poor INS official who would try to stop him.
the exile wrote on January 26, 2007 8:27 PM:A minor points: extraordinary rendition is not "extradition." They tried to force him to sign a "voluntary" removal order. He rightly refused. No legitimate legal extradition hearings were held. He was just put on a plane in the dead of night. He's still on the US watch list today, but they won't say any more that it's because he's a terrorist, but merely because he fits certain technical criteria. We all know he's on the list for one reason only: to prevent him from testifying to Leahy's committee. If Leahy really wants to stir things up and show Democratic spine, he should fly to Canada tomorrow and personally escort Arar to Washington with CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN in tow. I'd hate to be the poor INS official who would try to stop him.
the exile wrote on January 26, 2007 8:30 PM:sorry about the double post-- I didn't think the anonymous post (i forgot to enter my handle) would go through.
also sorry about the typo.
Jason Bo Green wrote on January 26, 2007 10:18 PM:Wrong Jim - very wrong. How did the Democrats take over Congress and the Senate, if not by electing a great number of candidates who would fit in well with Harper, Ambrose, Solberg, and even Kenney?
Sure, there's Rob Anders, but what about Tom Wappel?
The amount of Canadians who think that Harper is a clone of Bush is laughable. No problem with gay marriage, zero movement to enact even one law about abortion, all for health care - this is the "Republican"?
There's no big difference at all between the Democrats and the Conservative Party of Canada.
rey wrote on January 27, 2007 12:34 AM:hey jason, isn't the democratic party pretty much 'mini-bush' in and of itself? apart from being completely pathological, what are the differences? the conservative party of canada is THE right wing party here, and their goal is a larger military, larger military, larger military.
rey wrote on January 27, 2007 12:45 AM:whoops, missed your last post. jason, are you kidding me? you aren't a canadian, are you? harper has a very large problem with gay marriage, and that is the fact that he can't make it go away at the moment.
i certainly won't argue that there is no big difference between the democrats and the conservative party, because there is no big difference between the democratic party and the republican party.
the reason harper is 'for health care' is because no canadian politician who says he is for the american system of health care would ever get elected.
Jason Bo Green wrote on January 27, 2007 1:27 PM:i am pretty certain that harper would enter into a gay marriage (after a proper divorce, of course) if he thought that would lengthen his tenure.
I'm not only Canadian, I'm gay. And I sure don't feel threatened at all by Harper. He'd prefer "civil unions", okay -- but so does John Kerry. So what's the big difference?
There isn't one.
As for this "larger military" nonsense, Canada's military is miniscule. We could easily have a larger military and *not* become a militarized police state.
Michael wrote on January 27, 2007 11:50 PM:Re the guys who are willing to be tortured for a few million: How about if you have a 50/50 chance of being tortured, released and get the cash, or being tortured for the rest of your life by being raped with a bat and having your tender parts fried with a car battery? or maybe just being tortured to death?
If you think the Syrians draw the line at waterboarding, you are dreaming.
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