The Liberal government took steps to bar Omar Khadr from attending a celebration near Parliament Hill in late June where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the keynote speaker, even though Mr. Khadr was not on the guest list for the invitation-only event.
Two sources have confirmed to The Globe and Mail that Mr. Khadr and his wife, Muna Abougoush, were in the Parliament Buildings on June 19, the same day as an annual celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr in the Sir John A. Macdonald building, a parliamentary reception hall. The annual event includes members of the public, and MPs and senators from all parties.
A senior Liberal insider told The Globe on Monday that the government was worried that Mr. Khadr might meet with Liberal MPs or attend the Eid al-Fitr celebration, where Mr. Trudeau was speaking. The government has been highly criticized over a $10.5-million settlement and formal apology to the former child soldier for abuses he suffered while detained in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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Mr. Khadr’s presence in the Senate has also prompted Conservative Senator Leo Housakos to demand answers from security officials about how the “convicted terrorist” was able to get on Parliament Hill, although Mr. Khadr’s lawyer says he had every right as a Canadian citizen to be there.
Mr. Housakos said the incident was “quite disturbing” and he informed his colleagues, including Conservative Senator Denise Batters, who serves as deputy chair of the Senate’s powerful board of internal economy.
“How could this happen? Why is security so lax on the Hill?” Mr. Housakos said in an interview. “How could an individual like that not be on a barred list? If he is allowed to come on Parliament Hill, I assume just about anybody can.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-liberals-were-ready-to-block-omar-khadr-if-he-tried-to-attend-event/
It seems that convicted Canadian terrorists may deserve millions of taxpayer dollars and retain their citizenship, but apparently Trudeau doesn't want them hanging around him. It seems "a Canadian, is a Canadian" is only the Trudeau Liberal mantra as long as they are mingling with the peasants, but the fun ends when they come to town and risk spoiling the party.
Two sources have confirmed to The Globe and Mail that Mr. Khadr and his wife, Muna Abougoush, were in the Parliament Buildings on June 19, the same day as an annual celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr in the Sir John A. Macdonald building, a parliamentary reception hall. The annual event includes members of the public, and MPs and senators from all parties.
A senior Liberal insider told The Globe on Monday that the government was worried that Mr. Khadr might meet with Liberal MPs or attend the Eid al-Fitr celebration, where Mr. Trudeau was speaking. The government has been highly criticized over a $10.5-million settlement and formal apology to the former child soldier for abuses he suffered while detained in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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Mr. Khadr’s presence in the Senate has also prompted Conservative Senator Leo Housakos to demand answers from security officials about how the “convicted terrorist” was able to get on Parliament Hill, although Mr. Khadr’s lawyer says he had every right as a Canadian citizen to be there.
Mr. Housakos said the incident was “quite disturbing” and he informed his colleagues, including Conservative Senator Denise Batters, who serves as deputy chair of the Senate’s powerful board of internal economy.
“How could this happen? Why is security so lax on the Hill?” Mr. Housakos said in an interview. “How could an individual like that not be on a barred list? If he is allowed to come on Parliament Hill, I assume just about anybody can.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-liberals-were-ready-to-block-omar-khadr-if-he-tried-to-attend-event/
It seems that convicted Canadian terrorists may deserve millions of taxpayer dollars and retain their citizenship, but apparently Trudeau doesn't want them hanging around him. It seems "a Canadian, is a Canadian" is only the Trudeau Liberal mantra as long as they are mingling with the peasants, but the fun ends when they come to town and risk spoiling the party.
