OTTAWA — A watchdog group says Justin Trudeau should be barred from any role in deciding the fate of terror suspect Mohamed Harkat because the prime minister’s brother is lobbying the government on the issue.
Duff Conacher, a founder of Ottawa-based Democracy Watch, says Trudeau should publicly recuse himself from involvement in the file.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves a media availability in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, March. 2, 2016. (Photo: Jonathan Hayward/CP)
Harkat, a former gas-station attendant, was taken into custody more than 13 years ago on suspicion of being an al-Qaida sleeper agent — an accusation he denies.
The federal government has been trying to deport the Algerian refugee on a national security certificate, a seldom-used tool for removing non-citizens suspected of extremism or espionage.
Trudeau’s brother Alexandre has long opposed security certificates and recently wrote to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, urging him to use his discretion to allow Harkat to stay.
Documentary filmmaker Alexandre Trudeau is interviewed in 2003. (Photo: Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail via CP)
In Vancouver, the prime minister said his brother has the same rights as any Canadian to advocate on the issues and causes that he believes in.
“We have a rigorous process on the government side, and we will be following that process with the kind of rigour and seriousness that Canadians expect us to,” he said.
Harkat, 47, fears he will be tortured if forced to leave Canada.
Conservative public safety critic Erin O’Toole released the following statement Wednesday:
We are very concerned by the highly inappropriate role being played by the brother of the Prime Minister with respect to an important public safety matter.
In 2002, the previous Liberal government issued a security certificate to detain Mr. Harkat due to public safety risks. Years later, the Liberal party supported the Conservative government’s improvements to the security certificate process and the Supreme Court upheld the use of a security certificate in the case of Mr. Harkat.
The Prime Minister and his Ministers should rely on the expertise of Canada’s public safety agencies who are charged with keeping Canadians safe. — This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Source: Huffingtonpost
