Jihadi Jack row could have implications for Anglo-Canadian relations
THE Canadian government is furious. British-born Jihadist Jack Letts has been stripped of his UK passport, and could now be heading for North America – a place where he has never lived. The decision was taken by Sajid Javid, reportedly in one of his last acts as Home Secretary before becoming chancellor in Boris Johnson’s government. Letts, who is currently in a Kurdishrun prison in northern Syria, is now left solely with Canadian citizenship, the country of his father’s birth. Anyone would think he’d be welcome given what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said before. Previously the Canadian leader passed ‘Bill C-6’ which restored citizenship to convicted jihadists, saying “We know diversity is our strength, and for this side of the House, a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian,” Following Britain’s decision, he seems to have had a change of heart. “It is a crime to travel internationally with a goal of supporting terrorism or engaging in terrorism. And that is a crime that we will continue to make all attempts to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Trudeau blasted. So much for “a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian”, But with an eye on Britain’s post-Brexit future, the treatment of Canada has a more pressing significance that seems missing from the discussion about the Letts case in the UK. The North America country is a former British colony and the two countries have close historical ties that continue today. The apparent lack of consideration for Canada in the Letts case represents a certain lingering arrogance on the part of the UK government at a time when we need all the partners we can get.