The Merged Maher Arar Thread

[Kirkhill]

Fantino?

 

[Blindspot]

Fantino?

Fantino was just made head of the OPP.

 

[Kirkhill]

Out of the running then. Too bad.

 

[Yrys]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/061207/national/arar_day

Day refuses to answer committee questions on Zaccardelli departure

 

[Chubbard]

how exactly would one get a commissioner from outside the RCMP? ignoring the extreme difficulty this poor individual will have trying to win the loyalty of the force, there arent any police cheifs in Canada with expereince in forces that large except the division commanders in the RCMP. Its not like you can take the head of a 1000 member department like vancouver and make him comissioner, so youd have to look at toronto, OPP, QPP or RNC. Considering three of these fill roles the RCMP does in other provinces, wouldnt taking on their cheif just have the same issues as brining on a division commander? even more issues if you count how the RCMP probably wont be too receptive to an outisder as comsissioner.

 

[FastEddy]

how exactly would one get a commissioner from outside the RCMP? ignoring the extreme difficulty this poor individual will have trying to win the loyalty of the force, there arent any police cheifs in Canada with expereince in forces that large except the division commanders in the RCMP. Its not like you can take the head of a 1000 member department like vancouver and make him comissioner, so youd have to look at toronto, OPP, QPP or RNC. Considering three of these fill roles the RCMP does in other provinces, wouldnt taking on their cheif just have the same issues as brining on a division commander? even more issues if you count how the RCMP probably wont be too receptive to an outisder as comsissioner.

1 +

Just what we need, a Civie in Charge.

I guess that they would agree, its okay and the same, if your Kid needed Brain Surgery, lets get a CPA to do it, after all he is Highly Educated etc etc.

We see how well it works for the Military, How many Ministers of Defense have been Vets or Served.

 

[Bobbyoreo]

I fell bad for the guy. He did great things in his time as an RCMP officer. I wish him the best in the rest of things down the way.

 

[schart28]

The resignation of the RCMP commissioner alone won't ensure accountability on matters of national security, Maher Arar said Friday

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/08/arar-rcmp.html?ref=rss

 

[Bobbyoreo]

This man is just out seeking money now..nothing more.

 

[GAP]

He got his pound of flesh....now let it die, correct the faults internally, but at this point he should be out of loop entirely.

 

[Bobbyoreo]

That's what I think too. It'll take Years to get the trust back for alot of people. Plus I really think the US should stand up and say hey..we did our part too...as we are the ones that sent him to Syria

 

[3rd Horseman]

The RCMP Commissioner did the honourable thing. He did nothing wrong but it would appear that someone did and he is protecting them and falling on his sword, that is a fine example of leadership. I trust the RCMP will do all the needed fixes to ensure this does not happen again.

I feel bad for Arar but next time we have a terrorist attack in North America he should not: sell his house, move to Tunisia and refuse to talk with the Police when he is departing the country. I guess you get in peoples naughty book when you do that. I would suspect that it would be a different situation had he spoke to the police when asked. But then, I'm only guessing, does not make what happened to him right just preventable at the first instance. 

 

[spqr]

The guy didn't do anything.  He was sent away from his familiy and tortured.  I would be pissed as well.  I would have been a hell of a lot more pissed than I have ever seen him represent himself.

Suspicious activity should initiate an investigation not close one.

 

[spud]

This man is just out seeking money now..nothing more.

And people here wouldn't do the same thing? Gimme a break.

 

[schart28]

I'd do the same and probably more....

And people here wouldn't do the same thing? Gimme a break.

 

[armyvern]

But then, I'm only guessing, does not make what happened to him right just preventable at the first instance. 

It was up to him to prevent this? No. Not in democratic Canada.

If verifiable evidence of wrong-doing actually existed, that's worth questioning/investigating him over....it does not justify deportation and torture. And had an investigation confirmed wrong-doing, they would have charged him....not lied about him.

This was in no way his problem, or justifiable as "preventable by him."

 

[xmarcx]

I feel bad for Arar but next time we have a terrorist attack in North America he should not: sell his house, move to Tunisia and refuse to talk with the Police when he is departing the country. I guess you get in peoples naughty book when you do that. I would suspect that it would be a different situation had he spoke to the police when asked.

Except, he didn't own a house to sell, he only went to Tunisia for a family vacation and was asked to return early by his company for a consulting (CSIS didn't bother to ask his boss). He also did not refuse to talk to police. He was suspicious of the nature of the interview they wanted so he contacted a lawyer, who agreed to the interview under conditions designed to protect Mr. Arar. The RCMP decided it wasn't worth the trouble and did not proceed. The only mistake Mr. Arar made was the accident of being friends with Abdullah Almalki, a suspected Al-Qaeda member. He was seen eating with Almalki at a restaurant, and when they left it was raining. The surveillance operator got excited and wrote that they were walking in the rain to talk in secret so their conversation couldn't be picked up. From that point on things just spiraled downhill. There's not a damn thing Arar could have done to prevent it.

 

[spud]

He got his pound of flesh....now let it die, correct the faults internally, but at this point he should be out of loop entirely.

How an RCMP commissioner resigning is "his" pound of flesh I'll never know. That would only be about an ounce to me.

The dude was detained and tortured on false evidence provided by our government and then hung out to dry.

The RCMP has apologized. Parliament has apologized. He's asking for 39 million apologies, preferably by cheque. I Don't blame him a bit.

 

[3rd Horseman]

It was Arars conduct that placed him on the watch list no matter how innocent it was. It was his refusal to talk with the RCMP that placed a red flag beside his watch list name. My suggestion was that it is plausible that at the first instance his cooperation could have avoided this entire mess. Notwithstanding that once he did not cooperate that many issues and instances presented themselves where it could have been prevented by many operators throughout the chain of command and events. We must not loose sight of the fact that he was let out of the country by the RCMP when he refused to cooperate(thats the democratic part). It was the US that detained him once he returned not us. It was the US that sent him to Syria not us. No doubt some skulduggery was about when he was sent and the RCMP probably could have prevented it once that instance had occurred.

On the money issue he does deserve some compensation no doubt about that.

edit Typo  

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Has anyone proved he was tortured??..........or do we just take his word and pay?

I'm afraid the young man put himself in a wrong place/wrong time situation with his mouth/attitude and found out that sometimes the Piper deals from a 'funny' deck.