Recently we complained about Opposition Leader Andrew ‘Chuckles’ Scheer inciting bigotry over the restitution paid to Canadian citizen Omar Khadr. Now we have the less bright of Chuckles’ backbenchers repeating the lies and half truths in ‘penny-dreadful’ mailings to their constituents.
We who live in the electoral district of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte M.P. Alex Nuttall have been wondering what he has found to amuse himself in Ottawa. Since Alex won by 86 votes from rural voters who did not know him as well as the city voters, he seems to have settled in the nation’s capital. It must have pleased him that the Conservative caucus office offered to send mailings to his voters for him. It is obvious that neither Nuttall nor any of his staff can write so they sent what they were given.
Can you imagine a big reverse headline: “$10.5 million for a terrorist”? They actually call Mr. Khadr a “convicted terrorist.” They obviously know very little about the definition of libel and slander. Omar Khadr was never convicted of being a ‘terrorist.’ He has never been charged with breaking any law in Canada. His only entanglement with pseudo justice was when the Americans shot him and dragged him off to their prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. Then an American military kangaroo court eventually convicted him under a non-existent law to get him out of their hands.
And I think we can all be skeptical of the statement that Justin Trudeau decided how much to pay him as compensation. As I recall, the prime minister was attending the various economic summits at the time we learned of the award.
But frankly I am puzzled by the question posed in the flyer to Mr. Nuttall’s constituents. It asks “Does Omar Khadr deserve $10.5 million and an apology?” To answer that as a ‘Yes or No’ question is a challenge.
But it is more of an incitement to bigotry than a serious question.
Does anyone know what the final bill will be from Mr. Khadr’s lawyers? It would be good if there was something left for him for 15 years of pain, torture, deprivation and suffering, when the Canadian government would do nothing to help him.
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Copyright 2017 © Peter Lowry
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