Welcome Back Saul Itzhayek – Good Luck Mohamed, Brenda & Ronald

In a word: Inconsistent – How else can you describe actions that have (or have not) been taken to defend Canadians abroad.  Am I the only ones seeing this?

To start off, I want to make it crystal clear on my views about Canadians that are jailed overseas…  If you break the law, you will pay the consequence of your actions and will be subject to the laws of the country you were naughty in.   This is the way it should be.  However, it is the responsibility of the government of Canada to represent the interest of Canadians abroad in an Equal and Fair manner based on our values at home.  Yes, it is the right of any sovereign nation to ignore anything that the Canadian government says.   It stands to reason that it would be important to have a clear policy on how the government should act when Canadians are imprisoned abroad.  

Yesterday it was proudly announced by DFAIT that Saul Itzhayek who has been imprisoned for just over ten months in India would be released.   DFAIT stood up on a soap box, pounded its chest and said in a news release ~

Exerept from the DFAIT news release

“Since Mr. Itzhayek’s arrest, consular officials in Ottawa, New Delhi and Kathmandu have been actively working on his case, engaging Indian officials at all levels. “I am proud of the hard work of our consular officials, who succeeded in expediting Mr. Itzhayek’s release,” said Secretary of State Guergis. “Our officials will be escorting Mr. Itzhayek to ensure his smooth return to Canada, where he will be reunited with his family.”

Nice work DFAIT.  But what about Brenda Martin who has been in a Mexican jail for two years without being charged.  This is where Guergis stands~

Exerpt from the Canadian Press Article 

Brenda Martin languished in a Mexican prison while the member of Parliament then handling her file mingled with Canadian expatriates at a private reception nearby, The Canadian Press has learned.

Conservative MP Helena Guergis rubbed elbows in late January with Guadalajara’s Canadian diaspora as they nibbled on hors d’oeuvres and sipped soft drinks and Coronas, say sources who attended the social function.

Guergis, secretary of state for foreign affairs, visited Mexico on Jan. 29 and 30 to meet with government officials in Mexico City and Guadalajara.

But now some are wondering why Guergis opted to attend a reception in Guadalajara instead of visiting Martin at the Puente Grande women’s prison, about 20 kilometres away.

Rather inconsistent!

Last November the Canadian government decided (and rather vocally) that it would back away from a long time policy of requesting clemency for Canadians that have been convicted and sentenced to execution.  This is the case for Ronald Allen Smith who is on death row in the US for a terrible crime he comitted there.

Excerpt from The Victoria Times Colonist 

The Conservative government has ended a long-standing federal policy of automatically seeking clemency for any Canadian facing the death penalty in a foreign country, CanWest News Service has learned.

The decision is likely to seal the fate of Alberta-born Ronald Allen Smith, the only Canadian on death row in the United States, who faces a lethal injection in Montana for killing two men in 1982.

… after two days of requests for a clarification of Canada’s policy, the Department of Foreign Affairs responded late yesterday with a statement that the government will not, in fact, press the U.S. to save Smith’s life. “We are not going to seek clemency in cases in democratic countries, like the United States, where there has been a fair trial,” a Foreign Affairs spokesperson stated.

But.. Now in Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Kohail a Canadian man accused and convicted of an equally serious crime has the sincere and full backing of the DFAIT and the Canadian governement.

Excerpt from Canada.com

“Our government is deeply disappointed at the verdict handed down by Saudi authorities on March 3,” said Melisa Leclerc, the minister’s spokeswoman.

“Canada will pursue all avenues to assist Mr. Kohail. We urge Saudi authorities to overturn the death sentence.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has already written to his Saudi counterpart to request that the government of Saudi Arabia review the sentence.

Dozens of Kohail’s supporters staged a rally on Parliament Hill on Sunday, demanding Ottawa put more pressure on the Saudi government to spare the man’s life.

 

Canadians living in Canada expect the Canadian government to treat everyone with the same yard stick.  Are Canadian Expats no longer Canadian?  Do we not deserve to at least be subject to a consistant policy?