Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae says Stephen Harper should appoint a panel of experts to advise the Canadian government on how to deal with the case of Omar Khadr, whose legal status has been left in limbo now that the U.S. government plans to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Speaking Sunday on CTV's Question Period, Rae criticized the Harper government for its decision to wait for a team of U.S. security experts to determine what would become of Guantanamo prisoners who face criminal charges, as Khadr does, rather than ask for him to be sent back to Canada.
Rae said Harper should, "appoint our own panel of people to give advice to the Canadian government, bring in the (former Supreme Court Justice) Frank Iacobuccis and the others in the world who will give advice to the government of Canada and say, 'this is what we should be doing to deal with a case of this kind.' ... It's been treated as a political football for too long and I think that demeans us."
On Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the infamous prison within one year. The order calls for a review of each prisoner's case to determine if they should be sent to their home country, released or transferred to another U.S. prison.
Khadr, a Canadian citizen, is one of only six prisoners who face charges. He is accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old.
Ahead of Thursday's announcement, a Gitmo military judge agreed to adjourn war-crimes proceedings against Khadr, who is now 22, and five others for 120 days.
Following the move, the Conservatives maintained their long-held stance in the case, saying they would not pressure U.S. officials to send Khadr back to Canada.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said last week that Ottawa would wait for the U.S. task force to decide what should become of Khadr.
Peter Kent, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed his government's position Sunday.
"The government of Canada doesn't believe it's the place for members of the Canadian Parliament to pre-empt the executive task force appointed by President Obama," Kent told Question Period. "Serious charges have been laid against Mr. Khadr for what he did at the age of 15. Not all 15-year-olds are ruddy-cheeked cherubs."
Rae argued the government must help Khadr, who he argued is a child soldier who needs rehabilitation.
"We can't simply sit back and wait. The very least we need to do now is to be engaging directly with the government on what alternatives might be available for Mr. Khadr," Rae said. "We don't want the task force to just make its decisions as if we don't exist and as if we don't recognize that Mr. Khadr is a citizen."
NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar argued that the Conservatives are trying to avoid taking a stand on Khadr's case.
"The sad thing is Mr. Obama's taken leadership on this issue and we're lagging behind, and we're leaving behind one of our citizens and I think we have to do something about it."
