Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says he told his U.S. counterpart that Canada will not interfere in the case of Omar Khadr, the only remaining Western prisoner in Guantanamo Bay.
Cannon spoke to CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday, the day after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.
"The government of Canada's position is quite clear. We will wait until this process is completely completed," Cannon said he told Clinton.
Many in Canada have urged the government to intercede on behalf of Khadr, who has been in Gitmo since he was wounded and captured by U.S. soldiers in a July 2002 firefight in Afghanistan. He was only 15 at the time.
He has been charged with murder in the death of a U.S. medic who was killed in the firefight, but has been imprisoned without trial for seven years.
U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged to close the controversial prison, and many countries have been granted the repatriation of imprisoned nationals, so that they can face legal proceedings on their home soil.
That hasn't happened in Khadr's case and the government has no plans to step in.
"The Americans, the president of course, has put in place a series of directives, a series of presidential orders, to close down Guantanamo, but at the same time make sure the detainees are processed through a judicial review panel," Cannon said.
"The position I reiterated is that the government of Canada is fully supportive but also will respect that position."
Cannon said there was little need to revisit Canada's exit strategy for Afghanistan, during his meeting with Clinton.
He said Prime Minister Stephen Harper made it clear last week to Obama that Canada's military role will not be extended past 2011, and he doesn't expect that to change.
But Cannon and Clinton did discuss what Canada is currently doing in Afghanistan, and how our troops can compliment U.S. efforts in coming months.
Many of Canada's 2,800 troops stationed in Afghanistan are located in Kandahar province in the southern part of the country, where they face fierce resistance from Taliban fighters.
Obama plans to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by 30,000, but has not asked for Canada to extend its mission.
Cannon said he and Clinton also talked briefly about border issues, and how both countries' stimulus packages can include border infrastructure projects that will speed the flow of travellers and commerce between the two countries.
