Comment
The new Scarlet Letter: T
by Michelle Minnoch

On September 18, 2006, Justice Dennis O'Conner revealed, after studying the case of Mahar Arar, that Arar should be removed from the terror watch list, and that the RCMP supplied wrong information to the United States. Three months later, a second and final report was released, coming to the same conclusion.

Canadians are familiar with the Mahar Arar case; a Syrian born Canadian, detained in New York after a trip to Tunisia, was sent to Syria for 10 months where he was imprisoned and tortured.

Although he received a private and public apology from former RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, there is a matter of financial compensation to be dealt with.

But let's look at the bigger picture here; he is somewhat a prisoner in his own country.

He cannot travel to the United States, can't even make a stopover there; he is still on their terror watch list.

In a letter dated January 16, which was sent to Canada's Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, the U.S. cited information which they say has merit for keeping Arar out of their country.

Canadian public security authorities have seen this information and found "nothing new" that would give them reason for keeping Arar on their watch list.

Let's look at both sides; let's say he is a threat to the United States. Our authorities have seen the report, and deemed the information not significant or important enough to keep Arar on a terror watch list. What constitutes a threat to safety and national security? How is our policy different of that of the United States?

On the other side of the coin, Arar is not a threat - he is your average Canadian, a working man, who may periodically face discrimination due to the events of the day. How is it fair that his rights have been taken away? How are this man's rights being protected? He is entitled to the rights of every other citizen of this country, to take a trip, cross the border, and not have to worry about meeting screening officials at the airport, and wondering what the outcome is, just because you have crossed into a neighbouring first world country.

Canadian officials have apologized for the nightmare Arar went through and are trying their hardest to allow Arar to have the same rights as you and I.

David Milgard and Steven Truscott and two familiar names in Canada, as they were both tried and convicted for crimes they did not commit. A crime was not even committed here, that we have been told, and a fellow citizen of ours has been convicted. That just doesn't seem right, fair, appropriate.

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) lashed out at his fellow senators, stating "We knew damn well that if he went to Canada, he wouldn't be tortured. We knew damn well that is he went to Syria he would be tortured. It's beneath the dignity of this country, a country that has always been a beacon of human rights, to send somebody to another country to be tortured."

The RCMP apologized. The Canadian Government has removed Arar from their terror watch list, even after reading the 'secret file' the U.S. has on Arar.

While some may be asking, 'Is there something they know that we don't?', more should be asking 'What right does the U.S. have to do this to our fellow citizen?'

They don't. Until evidence surfaces, stating Arar has done something wrong, or is a threat, he will be watched by people on the street, scrutinized by neighbours, and be put under a microscope.

Our government cleared him, what more do we need?