Let courts decide on Khadr settlement

RE: Omar Khadr

What grates on most Canadians’ sense of fair play, respect and decency about the $10.5 million awarded to Omar Khadr is the secrecy behind it all and the lack of transparency in yet another round of broken promises by Justin (Sunny Ways) Trudeau. This back room deal was all done in an attempt to prevent the Americans from getting their hands on any of it and in not wanting Canadian taxpayers having a say in it.

When it comes down to being accountable for their wrong-headed decisions, Trudeau and cabinet are happy to blame everyone else. While the Supreme Court ruled that “rights are not subject to the whims of the government of the day,” Trudeau conveniently forgot to mention that it was the Liberals under Chrétien and Martin who were the government of the day and not the Conservatives when Khadr’s rights were violated. Furthermore, neither Chrétien nor Martin made any attempt to repatriate Khadr and it was Harper who eventually accomplished that, albeit reluctantly. And finally, the Supreme Court made no mention of paying Khadr any money. Let the courts decide on any compensation. Phil Romaker, Hamilton