Statement made on 17 June 2009 by Senator Claudette Tardif
Hon. Claudette Tardif (Deputy Leader of the Opposition):
Honourable senators, it appears that the Conservative government chooses who it deems worthy of Canadian protection. Three well-known Canadian citizens abroad require the help of the Canadian government.
The first is Omar Khadr, a child soldier and the only western citizen deteriorating in Guantanamo Bay since 2003. He is there even though the U.S. administration has chosen to shut down Guantanamo Bay, and our own Supreme Court of Canada declared that our government has a responsibility to repatriate Mr. Khadr.
The second is Ronald Allen Smith. He has been in jail for the last 25 years and is on death row in Montana, in spite of the recent ruling by the Federal Court of Canada that the government's handling of the Smith case is unlawful.
The third is Abousfian Abdelrazik. His is a Canadian citizen living in the Canadian Embassy in Sudan for the last year and for whom the Conservative government refuses to issue a passport.
On what basis does this government pick and choose which Canadians it will represent abroad?
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