Activists go way too far with pro-Khadr petition

You can’t make this stuff up, folks. A registered third-party group previously committed to defeating former prime minister Stephen Harper has now turned its attention to getting Canadians to show some love for Omar Khadr.

“I stand with Omar Khadr” is the latest campaign from activist group Leadnow. They’re calling on Canadians to sign a petition to show their solidarity with the former al-Qaida enthusiast.

Don’t believe me? Here’s the online petition’s text in full:

“The Conservatives just launched an all-out campaign to attack Omar Khadr and the Liberals’ compensation package for violating his Charter rights and letting him languish in an offshore prison camp where he was tortured for over a decade.

“Let’s be clear: This Conservative attack is a misinformation campaign designed for crass political gain. They’re fundraising off it, appearing all over the media and spreading misinformation to fire up their base.

“We need to push back and remind the world that the majority of people in Canada stand up for human rights — and we’re standing with Omar Khadr.

“A massive open letter showing popular support for Omar Khadr and the government’s decision to compensate him for violating his Charter rights is bound to attract media, and can bury the nonsense, the naysayers, and the CPC’s ugly tactics. If we hit 20,000 signatures, we’ll even deliver it to Omar Khadr to let him know that there’s a groundswell of support behind him.

“Sign the letter now, then share it with everyone you know.”

It’s disingenuous to say the Tories are somehow orchestrating public opposition. They only wish they had the ability to drum up widespread sentiment as suddenly and ferociously as it’s been on this issue.

The Conservatives aren’t leading the public anger against the Khadr pay-out, they’re following it.

It happened so quickly, like a tidal wave of public opinion. The best political operatives couldn’t manufacture a response like this.

That’s why it’s hilarious that this campaign strives to “push back.”

Who are they pushing back against? The three-quarters of Canadians from across the political spectrum who wish the government had toughed it out and fought this pay-out in court?

Likewise, the phrase about firing up the base makes no sense here, since opposition to the pay-out doesn’t just go beyond core Conservative base support to widespread Conservative voter support, but also extends to cover the majority of Liberal and NDP voters.

The only base that’s riled up here is the strange contingent of people who loathe their right-wing neighbours so much that they want to be on the exact opposite of every issue from them even if it means campaigning for “popular support” for someone who fought on the side of al-Qaida.

While some Canadians say they support the pay-out on a matter of principle related to Charter rights violations, this campaign goes way beyond that and then some.

“Defeating Harper was the first step,” Leadnow writes on their donations page. “As people committed to deep, meaningful change, our job has just begun.”

They’ve got some nerve running this pro-Khadr campaign, especially now. Leadnow is one of the registered third-parties that’s been mentioned in news stories about the need for new laws limiting foreign funding received by such groups from influencing our elections.

If they’re aiming to make a good impression in the eyes of regular Canadians, they’re going about it the wrong way.