Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: seventh_son who wrote (10689)	10/4/2006 3:37:19 PM
From: Ichy Smith	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 37527

I think the discourse against Muslims comes from the understanding or misunderstanding of what Muslim Clerics say and what Muslims actually do. The calls for the death of a long list of people, the pope included, and the riots and murders over the popes statements and the danish cartoons make Islam look like the religion of insanity.

To: seventh_son who wrote (10689)	10/7/2006 11:12:17 AM
From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck	Respond to of 37527

Canada unhappy about U.S. handling of Arar JEFF SALLOT theglobeandmail.com Globe and Mail Update OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he told President George W. Bush yesterday the United States needs to come clean and acknowledge its inappropriate handling of the Maher Arar security case. Mr. Harper said he telephoned Mr. Bush to tell him Canada is upset about the findings of an independent commission of inquiry that "American officials had not been candid and truthful in their dealings with Canadian officials in the case." Canada will lodge an official protest through formal diplomatic channels and expects a response, Mr. Harper said. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay will write to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "What I would like to see, obviously, is the United States government to come clean with its version of events, to acknowledge, I would hope to acknowledge, the deficiencies and the inappropriate conduct that occurred, particularly vis-à-vis its relationship with the Canadian government," Mr. Harper said at a news conference in Calgary. Related to this article Prime Minister Stephen Harper told U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday of Canada's displeasure with the U.S treatment of Maher Arar. (Fred Chartrand/CP files) Articles Liberal evasions on Arar Cotler wants independent review of Arar case More than apology is needed, Arar says "Mr. Arar, I wish to take this opportunity to express publicly to you, to your wife and to your children how truly sorry I am" RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, testifying before the House national security committee yesterday Latest Comments Whether Canada is unhappy, upset, angry, downright 'mad', or... God job PM Harper. This needed to be said and has. To all you... I realise that since Mr Harper is Prime Minister, if there is... I'm so excited that Steve boy, finally got the message. He is... 90 reader comments \| Join the conversation White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush appreciated Mr. Harper "calling him directly on this." The 15-minute phone conversation is the highest-level contact between Washington and the Conservative government on the Arar case. The call comes almost three weeks after a commission of inquiry recommended that Canada officially protest the U.S. government's decision to deport Mr. Arar, a Canadian citizen, to Syria where he was tortured in 2002. Canada has also protested to Syria. But Mr. Harper indicated his concerns about American involvement are more serious because Canada wants to be able to co-operate with its allies in security operations. "We want to help the United States in the war on terrorism," Mr. Harper said. "And certainly we share their concerns about security, but at the same time we need to have the assurance that the rules and the agreements between our two governments will be respected in the future." One of Mr. Arar's lawyers, Lorne Waldman, said the 36-year-old software engineer is pleased Mr. Harper raised the issue with Mr. Bush. But it will be important for the U.S. administration to acknowledge key findings in the inquiry report, including the fact U.S. authorities violated the Vienna Convention on consular access. Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor, who headed the inquiry, said the Americans ignored the Vienna rules by holding Mr. Arar incommunicado for four days in New York without telling Canada anything about the arrest. Judge O'Connor said that it is "very likely" the Americans relied on misleading and inflammatory RCMP intelligence reports about Mr. Arar when they deported him. But the inquiry found no evidence that Canadian officials encouraged the Americans to send Mr. Arar to Syria. Mr. Harper said his call to Washington didn't seem to surprise Mr. Bush. "I can tell you the President responded sympathetically to my concerns when I raised them and committed to me he'll look into them and respond appropriately. I take him at his word and we'll see what that response is." One thing the American authorities should do, Mr. Harper said, is to make sure Mr. Arar's name is taken off U.S. border watch lists. Ottawa removed the Arar family from its watch lists soon after Judge O'Connor said there was no evidence Mr. Arar was ever a security threat. Citing national security, the U.S. Justice Department is fighting Mr. Arar's attempts to get a hearing in a New York court in a lawsuit he filed against Washington. Mr. Arar has also sued the Canadian government. But Mr. Harper said Ottawa is trying to reach a mediated financial settlement with Mr. Arar. Mr. Waldman said Canada might suggest to the Americans that they should also compensate Mr. Arar, who was held in a filthy Syrian prison for about a year. Mr. Harper, who is regularly criticized by opposition parties for supposedly getting too cozy with Washington, said he was not concerned that protesting the Arar case will seriously harm bilateral relations. "Our new government is seeking to establish a new relationship with the US," Mr. Harper said. "All Canadians were fed up with the poor relations between our countries under the last [Liberal] government." But a good relationship, he continued, "doesn't mean a perfect relationship." The bottom line is officials in both countries need to be able to "communicate honestly," Mr. Harper said. The NDP ridiculed the federal government, noting that while launching protests in the U.S., the government itself has yet to formally apologize to Arar. "You can't help but wonder whether it won't ring a little hollow in Washington," said New Democrat MP Alexa McDonough. "It really seems like a bit of a bait-and-switch tactic to distract from the fact that the government has failed to do the right thing itself. "In terms of sequencing, it seems a bit ass-backwards." Mr. Harper said the apology will come eventually, coupled with a compensation settlement with Mr. Arar. The government has already said it won't apologize now because that might drive up the cost of the agreement. However, Mr. Arar has said he wouldn't use the apology as negotiating leverage toward a sweeter deal. Though their conversation between Mr. Harper and Mr. Bush was relatively brief, the leaders also covered Canada-U.S. military co-operation in Afghanistan, the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan and Ottawa's worries about American plans to require all travellers at border crossings to produce a passport. With a file from reporter Dawn Walton and the Canadian Press