(This column was published in the North Shore News on Nov. 12, 2003)
Canada prefers to protect war criminals
By Leo Knight
THE refusal by Immigration Minister Denis Coderre to publicly release the names and photos of dozens of war criminals gone missing in this country is astounding.
Coderre says he supports their right to privacy and is claiming he is handcuffed by the Privacy Act.
Apparently, we are so stupid we accept that blindly.
Coderre decided that we citizens of Canada are not responsible enough to know the names and see the pictures of 59 war criminals who decided they really didn't want to be deported back from whence they came.
You see, after they were ordered deported, they were let go and told to report back on their deportation date. To no one's great amazement, except perhaps Minister Coderre, they didn't show up. Go figure.
And these weren't your run-of-the-mill 85-year-old former Ukranian stalag guards from the Second World War either. Oh no, most are known to have committed crimes against humanity and hail from such bastions of civilized society like Iran, Somalia, Algeria and Sri Lanka, to name but a few of the 24 originating countries.
Those who have not committed crimes against humanity are known or suspected members of terrorist organizations and foreign intelligence services. Coderre doesn't think you should know who they are. One might be a shopkeeper at Park Royal mall or the cab driver who picks you up from Safeway.
National Post reporter Stewart Bell asked Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to name these guys a year ago. Ontario Minister of Public Safety, Bob Runciman and Toronto police Chief Juliano Fantino also waded in, demanding to be informed who was on the run and possibly in their communities. In a letter to the minister in August, quoted in the National Post, they accused Coderre and his ministry of "an unfathomable lack of co-operation" and running a "seriously flawed system."
So how is it possible for Coderre to shield these men from not only the public, but from the police?
He cites the Privacy Act, long used as a method by politicians and public bodies alike to avoid telling you something you might not want to hear. Let's take a look.
Section 8 deals with the protection of personal information in the possession of the government and outlines specifically how and when the information might be made public. Consider Subsection 2 m when the minister says he cannot tell you, the public, about war criminals and terrorists his department has lost track of.
The relevant portion states private information may not be disclosed unless, in the opinion of the minister, "the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs any invasion of privacy that could result."
Now, I'm just an ex-cop who sees the world through cynical eyes, shielded with a veil of common sense. But, I have more than a little trouble with the premise that mass murderers and terrorists have a right to privacy that is not outweighed by the public interest in the disclosure of their identities.
Without question a person's right to privacy is paramount. But, as West Vancouver lawyer David Marley said in a discussion of this particular subject, "privacy is an amorphous concept which, like freedom, is not and cannot be absolute."
In simple terms, we all have a right to liberty, but that liberty can be taken from us if we break the laws of a civilized society. Equally, we all have a right to privacy, but once someone commits a crime against humanity, that right is forfeited.
So then, why is Coderre so determined to shield thugs, murderers and terrorists?
For the answer, we need to look at the story in last Friday's National Post. CIC spokesperson Simone McAndrew was quoted, giving the party line. Lower down, McAndrew said, "But the department said it was concerned Canadians might take vigilante action if they knew their identities" and added immigration offices were not prepared for a flood of tips from the public.
In other words, the department is under-resourced.
They don't have enough people. So, instead of taking measures to protect the public, this minister decides to clam up and not tell the people of Canada some vital information. I'll ignore the insult about vigilante action.
The bottom line is that Coderre is using the Privacy Act as a manufactured shield to mask the failure of his government to fulfill their duties to protect the public.
Money has been wasted elsewhere.
Think Shovelgate. Think Shawinigate. Think of the Ministry of Public Works. Think of Sheila Copps' heritage ministry. Think of Queen Adrienne. Think of the gun registry and don't even mention the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.
The billions of wasted dollars could have meant thousands of front-line police officers and immigration officers who could have dealt with the "flood of tips."
Your government's first and primary duty is to protect you. They aren't living up to it.
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