The Green Party of Canada is calling on Prime Minister Harper and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to explain the inconsistencies surrounding which political leaders are allowed into the country. “Minister Kenney decided to bar British MP George Galloway from Canada because of his alleged support for Palestinian terror groups while allowing Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, who many feel should be refused entry under Canada’s international obligations due to their complicity in allowing the torture of people detained by U.S. authorities. We would just like some consistency,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.
Dick Cheney spoke in Vancouver on Monday. George W. Bush is slated to visit Canada on October 20 as a guest of the mayor of Surrey British Columbia. Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Lawyers Against the War have said Canada has a duty to prevent Cheney and Bush’s entry into Canada because of their record of sanctioning torture methods. Both domestic and international laws have been cited, such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CAT), the Geneva Conventions, the Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes Act (CAHWCA) and the Criminal Code of Canada. These groups claim Canada is providing safe haven from prosecution by ignoring Bush and Cheney’s torture record and illegal war in Iraq.
Bush reportedly cancelled a trip to Switzerland earlier this year because of the same calls for his prosecution. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Committee on Torture have both reported their conclusions that the US military engages in torture at the Guantanamo Bay prison.
“Canada took a lead in the global negotiations for an International Criminal Court. Cheney and Bush represent a tough challenge for Canada as former leaders of our closest neighbour and largest trading partner. Nevertheless, we accepted legal obligations to pursue criminal actions. Refusing George Galloway access to Canadian soil while welcoming Cheney and Bush threatens to make a mockery of those obligations,” said May.