PM to Tories upset about Khadr payout: Keep ‘domestic squabbles’ in Canada
SHELBURNE, N.S. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took aim at the crossborder Conservative campaign lambasting him for a generous federal payout to Omar Khadr, saying “domestic squabbles” should be left at home.
Speaking at a summer camp in southwestern Nova Scotia on Friday, Trudeau said domestic politics should stay within Canada’s borders.
“When I deal with the United States, I leave the domestic squabbles at home,” he said. “Other parties don’t seem to have that rule, but I think it’s one Canadians appreciate.”
Trudeau said he’ll continue to work with opposition parties ahead of talks to rejig the North American Free Trade Agreement next month, but that Canadians expect domestic disputes won’t derail those discussions.
Senior Liberals have accused Conservatives of fanning anti-Trudeau sentiment in U.S. ads ahead of NAFTA negotiations, but Tory Leader Andrew Scheer has argued that the Grits are to blame for any American backlash over the Khadr payment.
Trudeau said he understands if people are frustrated by the settlement, but that the decision was made to save the country money and to defend the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians.
“Omar Khadr was going to show up in court … with a note from the Supreme Court with his name on it saying that his rights had been violated,” he said. “There is no question we were going to lose this case, because governments of different stripes violated his fundamental rights and freedoms.”
Trudeau said the U.S. administration is focused on growing the economy and helping the middle class, not on political controversies in Canada.
Fifteen years ago, the Canadianborn Khadr, then 15, was imprisoned in the notorious U.S. detention facility Guantanamo, accused of killing an American soldier/medic during a firefight in Afghanistan.
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2010 that Canadian authorities violated Khadr’s charter rights when they interrogated him there.
Khadr launched a $20-million civil suit against Ottawa, which was settled this month when the government agreed to pay him compensation — reportedly $10.5 million — rather than pursue a costly court battle.
Trudeau is to march in Halifax’s Pride Parade with his kids today, making him the first prime minister to take part in the event.
On Friday, he and his family roasted marshmallows and made s’mores with young boys and girls at the day camp in Shelburne, N.S.
“I want to say a big thank you to all your counsellors,” he told the kids.