Arar Case Study

Canada). As shown by McGuinty’s secret meeting, this process lacks all the things mentioned above; therefore, I believe that McGuinty chose the wrong process to make this decision. The right process would have involved those that would be affected by this decision. Instead they were purposely kept in the dark, which eliminated the possibility of free speech.

On 26 September 2002, Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who born in Syria, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport while he was waiting for his flight . Mr. Arar was held in solitary confinement without any charges by United States authorities for two weeks without having access to a lawyer. The United States government suspected him of being a member of Al-Qaeda and deported him back directly not to Canada, but to his country of birth Syria, where he was tortured . Arar was held in Syria for nearly a year, and during that time he was tortured, until he returns back to Canada. The Syrian government later admitted that Arar was not involved in any terrorist activity and he was “completely innocent ”. The RMCP has admitted that it worked with the CIA during the Maher Arar affair. Ottawa authorities had demanded, keeping a lid on the fact that Canada was working with the CIA on the issue, arguing such affirmation would conflict with national security. There was no such remorse over referring to help with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, however the government chose the CIA, a surreptitious spy organization, merited more prominent assurance in view of its distinctive tenets of engagement .

“Okay, here goes. A long time ago, I did a very bad thing, something I’ve been ashamed of for many years. I was wrong. It was stupid, mean, lousy, selfish, harmful, and the older I get the more I regret it. I’m apologizing, Cameron, and I ask you to forgive me” (Grisham 176).

Canada today is known for the pride it carries for being multi-cultural, inclusive and combination of many cultural, races and religious backgrounds, but for decades in the past Aboriginal children were abducted from their homes unwillingly to go to these Residential School enforced by Canadian government and laws. The goal of the government at the time was to destroy Aboriginal people and their existence overall. Fast forward in 2008 the former Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a public apology to Aboriginals regarding their role in residential schools as he quotes “We are sorry. The treatment of children in Indian residential school is a sad chapter of our history” ("Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Statement Of Apology"). Although many Aboriginals considered this a historical day and had a sense of relief “the apology was necessary but insufficient... Apologies once given, are only meaningful for the action that follows” ("Harper Apologizes For Residential School Abuse"). The official apology to Aboriginal Canadians who suffered in the residential school system for policies and actions of the government in the past have been explored in “A Sorry State” article by author Mitch Miyagawa. Sitting government apologizes for past government is appropriate to the mistreatment that occurred to interned, excluded and systematically neglected people, the accountability for past mass atrocity and human rights abuse and democracy for the victims, as well as acknowledging what

I believe that an apology does not have the power to set someone free. Especially Harper's apology. An apology is just words and it doesn’t mean anything, the real power is making a change and fixing the problem. An apology may be able to bring hope but, never set anyone free. In the text, he states that the apology is his alone, but it’s not. Most Politicians have their speeches written for them, his apology is not meaningful when it comes from someone else. Furthermore, he mentions his team and thanks them for helping him with the apology. I know his apology isn’t meaningful because he refers to this part of Canada’s history as a “Sad Chapter” or a “Sad Episode” as if it was nothing. This part of Canada’s history was more that just “Sad” it was a horrific and scarring time for many

He set vital standards and morals that we all abide, support, and spread. Pierre Trudeau loved the people, that’s what made him stand out from other leaders. No one loved their people as much as Trudeau did, and it sure rubbed off. “I speak of a Canada where men and women of aboriginal ancestry, of French and British heritage, of the diverse cultures of the world, demonstrate the will to share this land in peace, in justice, and with mutual respect. I speak of a Canada which is proud of, strengthened by, its essential bilingual destiny, a Canada whose people believe in sharing and in mutual support, and not building regional barriers” [8]. Today, Canadians no longer represent a color, a religion, or characteristic, but unity. Toronto, the largest city is ranked the most multicultural city in the world and each and every ethnicity is accepted and respected [8]. In addition, stated in the Charter of Canadian rights and Freedoms states that: Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability [9]. Canada was one of the first countries to legalize gay marriage in 2005, a feat that the “powerhouse” United States of America did not legalize until 2015 and an

I think that the Canadian Government should be continuing on with of the responses and apologies, I don’t know when they are going to stop but they shouldn't stop saying sorry to all the past mistakes they have done. Yes, people are forgiving and concerned about the government's next move, but I think they should stop when everyone has the government's trust. There shouldn't be an extent, I think that they should be pushing forward and continuing on with the responses. In my presentation, I said “The government has one the biggest role in the Residential School incident”, The government made, created & formed this idea to give to the first nations. It seemed good at first but having a major event that makes Aboriginals untrustworthy to the government today is still something we need to handle properly and carefully. So I think that the government will keep on going and going so everyone

On October 19th, 2015, Canada had its 42nd general election. Justin Trudeau was the best choice Canadians could make in terms of electing a new Prime Minister. Many past leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada can be held accountable for great change, such as Lester B. Pearson commissioning a search for a new flag, Pierre Trudeau (Justin Trudeau’s father) creating the Official Languages Act and Mackenzie King instituting a national old age pension plan. Justin Trudeau is also considerate of the citizens of Canada; this is evident based on his opposition of the Northern Gateway Pipeline and outspoken support for the middle class throughout his candidacy. Similarly, Trudeau does not only consider himself responsible of his citizens but also the environment, given his promise to modify Canada’s national park admission fees and interest in ending fossil fuel subsidies.

Due to the damage the Acts, policies, and treaties had towards Aboriginal individuals, communities, and cultures, there has been a focus on the reconciliation. The Acts, policies, and treaties have created a deep mistrust on the part of First Nations people towards the government. Especially the impact of the Indian Act, which led so many children to suffer as they were abused physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally while attending the Residential Schools. Thus, it is important to heal the relationship and come to a point where non-Natives support the Aboriginal people in the healing process and revitalizing the cultural and linguistic traditions that have been lost. Although there has been an apology by the Prime Minister of Canada and a promise to renew the relationship with Aboriginal people by our current government, Justin Trudeau, the Acts, policies, and treaties are still being used to put Aboriginal people in a disadvantaged position. For example, Indian Act, although amended, is still being used. The interview with one activist who is camping outside INAC office states, "We need to dismantle the Indian Act. We want to have our own affairs. We want to be able to negotiate better. The Indian Act just spreads more colonialism". Further as Thomas King states in the video, “Things haven 't changed... Still abrogate treaties..still losing land. The methodology has changed, but attitude has not changed.” This shows that there are still works to be done with

Achieving reconciliation is improbable, if not completely impossible, if the majority of Canadians are unaware of the historic and current injustices carried out on Indigenous populations. Addressing this exact problematic, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is committed to the acknowledgment of the discriminations and horrors experienced by Indigenous peoples, in regards to the Residential school legacy. The TRC is dedicated to reconciliation through the promotion of awareness and public education of past eradication policies (TRC, Website).

He is a true leader who only wants the best for our country and its citizens. David Johnston, who has impacted the country immensely in many ways such as welcoming in Syrian Refugees Arriving In Toronto. A chartered plane from Beirut, carrying about 214 refugees, was the fourth flight organized by the government as part of its plan to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year. In addition to welcoming these new members, David himself makes a small conversation with a small family; "We're happy to have you and your family here. Your children will quickly make friends with children like our grandchildren." Johnston calls on canadians to ‘speak out’ on earth day, in fact he stated “We must preserve the natural world in order

Obama, that has not been resolved to this day. This legal dispute did not occur on American soil, but in Guatemala. Mr. Slahi was arrested in Mauritania in November 2001 on suspicion of ties to al-Qaeda. He was then illegally rendered by the U.S. government to Jordan, where he was detained, interrogated and abused for eight months. He was subsequently rendered to U.S. custody in Bagram, Afghanistan and finally to Guantánamo, where he has been held since August 2002 (Slahi v. Obama - Habeas Challenge to Guantánamo Detention). The government continued to oppose his release and filed an appeal in the D.C. Circuit. The Court of Appeals sent the case back to the district court for further factual findings in light of developments in the law since the district court issued its original ruling ordering Mr. Slahi released. The case is now back before the district court. Both of these court cases are examples of how this law works, and makes it evident that personal freedoms are put at risk by this

Ignatieff does put too much of the blame for his mistakes on the other political parties, mainly the Harper Conservative's, in Fire and Ashes. He and his staff were unprepared to handle modern attack ads. Rather than simply brushing them off, Ignatieff corroborated them by going on the

"Canada Condemns the savage murdering of David Haines by ISIL. Our musings & petitions to God are with his family at this point

The prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau argued that "Canada is back, my friends," Trudeau declared. "We're here to help."