The Usual Suspects

"I urge you to use your unique position as minister, and the discretion afforded to you under the law, to exempt Mohamed Harkat from deportation and let him stay and live a productive life in Canada."
"Make this decision of yours another shining example of your government's commitment to sunny ways."
"I am absolutely convinced that at this moment, he [Harkat] poses no danger whatsoever to the public or to public safety in Canada. But rather offers a positive commitment to the life he has created here."
"Just as importantly, Canadian and international law prohibit complicity in torture, and there is good reason to believe that Mohamed's deportation to Algeria could lead to his torture."
Alexandre Trudeau, filmmaker, Montreal -- letter to Public Safety Minister

Algerian-born Mohamed Harkat has been charged with abetting terrorism. Evidence was presented in a Canadian court of law that this man was an active member of the terrorist network that al-Qaeda built. Wiretapped telephone conversations, intercepted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and informants helped build the government's case against this man who has been identified as someone who has overstayed his welcome in Canada.

The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed the decision finding Mr. Harkat to be an active member of al-
Qaeda. He was granted refugee status in Canada in 1997, two years after arriving in the country. And it has been twelve years since he was first detained on a security certificate on suspicion he was part of the al-Qaeda network, associating with suspected terrorists on his arrival in Canada.

Evidence includes his operation of a safe house in Pakistan for al-Qaeda agents entering and exiting Afghanistan.


The Supreme Court's decision was unanimous in giving the security certificate law, an immigration proceeding for the purpose of removing non-Canadians -- held to be inadmissible for reasons of national security, violating human or international rights, or involvement in organized or serious crimes -- from Canada. On that basis, Mohamed Harkat qualified for removal and his extradition is pending.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston  Mohamed Harkat during a press conference marking the 10th anniversary of his arrest and detention on a security certificate, Dec. 10, 2012 in Ottawa.

The decision by the Liberal prime minister's politically activist brother to intervene and plead for this man to be allowed to remain in Canada on the basis that "at this moment" he poses no danger to public safety, bypasses the issue of his past involvement in terrorism as an enabler and a sleeper agent. That Alexandre Trudeau, an avowed far-left sympathizer has convinced himself of Mr. Harkat's innocence is of little importance.

He has his own ideas of what is appropriate and much of what Canada and the Western world undertakes in its mostly ineffective push-back against Islamist terrorism offends him personally. He has a right to his opinion in a free and presumably open society, but there is more than a whiff of sanctimonious entitlement in appealing to a government headed by his brother, to prevail in his idea of what constitutes security. Narcissism and entitlements appear a familial trait.

Caroline Phillips  Justin Trudeau with his younger brother Alexandre in March 2010