Harper deflects calls to apologize to Arar

[tuvor]

OTTAWA/WASHINGTON -- The Harper government refused calls on Tuesday to apologize to Maher Arar and punish or even fire the head of the RCMP for leading a force that sent false intelligence reports to the U.S. that were blamed for the software engineer’s deportation and torture in Syria.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, under pressure from all three opposition parties in the House of Commons, ignored repeated urgings from the opposition and Arar’s supporters to offer an apology, noting that Arar’s ordeal took place under the former Liberal government.

(And under which government was the Chinese head tax, which Harper made a big deal out of apologizing for, implemented? Surely not the Conservatives!--tuvor)

"I think it’s clear that ... Mr. Arar has been done a tremendous injustice," said Harper, adding that his government intends to "act swiftly" in implementing the recommendations contained in the Justice Dennis O’Connor’s exhaustive public inquiry report, released Monday.

Arar is currently negotiating a settlement with the government and apologies, if they can be obtained in advance, have in the past been used as a key bargaining tool when seeking compensation.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=09fd19b5-d6a1-4456-94fa-2de8f8adddf0&k=59926

[tuvor]

1. Globe and Mail: Ottawa vows to fix RCMP

OTTAWA — The government is promising an overhaul of the RCMP in light of a devastating inquiry report that found the federal police passed along erroneous and damaging intelligence to the U.S. about Maher Arar.

But ministers are avoiding an immediate response to questions about the fate of RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli. "We aren't acting precipitously on RCMP personnel matters at all," Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said yesterday when asked if Mr. Zaccardelli would be sacked.

Mr. Day and Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the government accepts the report of the inquiry, including a raft of recommendations about how the RCMP assesses security risks and passes intelligence to foreign governments.

"Mr. Arar has been done a tremendous injustice," Mr. Harper told the Commons, suggesting the government will negotiate compensation in line with the recommendations of the inquiry.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060920.wxarar20/BNStory/National/home

[IntravenousDemilo]

2. Doris is such a ninny.

The word is "precipitately", not "precipitously". The only way I would like to see Doris act precipitously is if he's jet-skiing near Niagara Falls.

[daleo]

3. Speaking of the RCMP

I wonder how that election-time investigation of the budget leak is going? They have been mighty quiet. Will it just disappear down the memory hole now that it has done its job?

[Spazito]

4. Good question! I suspect it will rear it's head again as soon as

another election is called. The RCMP will suddenly find reason to "report" the "ongoing" investigation into "possible Liberal wrongdoing".