Canada’s Gitmo refusal
The interests of Canada and the United States often clash, and when they do, we expect our government to stand up for us. But when the Americans have a favour to ask and there is no good reason for us to say no, we should try to help. That’s what good neighbours do.
Why, then, did the Canadian government turn down a request from the U.S. to help resettle detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison? To add insult to injury, as the Star‘s Michelle Shephard reported last weekend, the Americans found out about our decision through a press release after talks on the subject between the two nations were abruptly ended earlier this year.
U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to close the Gitmo prison by the end of the year. But he clearly needs help finding new homes for detainees who would be imprisoned and/or tortured if sent back to their places of origin. It behooves the rest of world, which has often been critical of the very existence of Gitmo, to extend a helping hand to Obama. Many nations already have, including France, Portugal, Ireland and Bermuda. But not Canada.
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MaryT Says:
Did O ask other countries what they thought of him promising to close Gitmo. If he wanted us to take his problem off his hands he should have discussed it with us first.
Keep them in Gitmo or send them all back to their homeland and see what happens.
Considering that one released guy went back to take over the Al Queda network.
How many deaths is he responsible for.
Posted on October 14th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
mike Says:
Obama should personally adopt a couple. It would provide more jobs, think of the marshals they would have to hire just to keep things safe. Come on Barry put your money where your mouth is.
mid island mike
Posted on October 14th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
beentheredonethat Says:
The interests of Canada and the United States often clash, and when they do, we expect our government to stand up for us.
So this writer agrees that when Canada’s and the US interests clash we expect our government to stand up for us huh? Well, that’s exactly what our governmet is doing by saying no……dufus.
Posted on October 14th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
philanthropist Says:
Canada has enough terrorists to deal with, there is no way we should accept more simply to curry favour with a lame-duck President. The author of this article is an idiot.
Posted on October 14th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
nomdeblog Says:
“we expect our government to stand up for us huh? “
Agree btdt, the Star’s premise is wrong in this case. Our interests don’t “clash” on this issue. It is not in the US interest or Canada’s to move them off Gitmo.
What is clashing is an inept President having opportunistically misled his people and now wants to save himself embarrassment. Interestingly I’ve overheard a number of youth who noticed this Gitmo duplicity by Obama and they bring it up in the context of the Nobel prize.
Gitmo is a lot more serious but similar to McGuinty promising to roll back the tolls on the 407 and then saying “aw shucks, I didn’t see the file and the contracts until you elected me”.
Both McGuinty and Obama owe their voters an apology but that’ll never happen.
Why would a Star reporter want to enable deception? It is the Star that clashes with our interests.
Posted on October 14th, 2009 at 6:41 pm