And Riyadh is an influential regional power
Canada has declined to give Raif Badawi Canadian citizenship (and the Canadian passport it would make possible).
The Trudeau government says it won’t grant imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi Canadian citizenship, arguing this would not help the case of a man sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for blasphemy.
Mr. Badawi’s spouse and their three children were granted sanctuary in Canada last year and now live in Sherbrooke, Que. Ensaf Haidar, speaking to The Globe and Mail last week, said Canada must do more to help her husband and said “the first thing” it could do now is give Mr. Badawi a Canadian passport.
She argued Canadian citizenship would give Ottawa more standing to push for his release.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion disagrees. Speaking after a cabinet retreat in southwestern New Brunswick Tuesday, he said he doesn’t believe Canadian citizenship would improve Mr. Badawi’s situation.
Why not do it anyway, because it might?
Granting Ms. Haidar’s request could complicate Canada’s relations with Saudi Arabia and jeopardize a $15-billion deal to sell weaponized armoured vehicles to Riyadh over 14 years.
Oh. That’s why not. Because they would rather sell weaponized armoured vehicles to that horrible blot of a government.
Canadian citizenship could give Canada more leverage to keep tabs on Mr. Badawi.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper used to say that Canada’s influence in Mr. Badawi’s case was limited because the writer was not a Canadian citizen.
…
Alex Neve, secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, has said a Canadian passport could help.
“Amnesty International continues to urge the Canadian government to explore all possible strategies for securing Mr. Badawi’s release, allowing him to reunite with his family in Canada. A grant of citizenship, further to his wife Ensaf Haidar’s request, could boost the effectiveness of Canada’s pleas on his behalf.”
And say goodbye to $15 billion? Don’t be silly.
Mr. Trudeau is being advised in briefing books to strengthen economic ties with Saudi Arabia because it would be good for business and Riyadh is an influential regional power.
So just never mind its disgusting human rights record, its way of abusing foreign domestic workers, its unrelenting hatred of women, its passion for beheading people, its efforts to silence critics…
Whelp, there goes my little bubble of joy for finally having a sensible person in Ottawa. I hoped I’d have had at least a year.
Disgusting.
Hugely disappointed in Trudeau.
True dope, that one. Bless his little heart.
By the way, wonder why Canadian oil industry is under hard pressure right now? Because SA is dumping oil on the world market in a price war, precisely in order to squeeze out and kill North American production. How friendly is that then?
Mind you, I certainly would like to see all oil sand and fracking extraction cease immediately – it’s very, very bad for the environment and it would be better the sooner this planet reverts to renewable energy.
Canada even has its own solar industry: csiq for instance. And Solarcity builds a giant factory in Buffalo NY. Invest there instead! We really can’t trust Saudi to use those weaponized armoured vehicles for peace anyway.
Canada is led by an malleable adolescent behind which stand numerous financial and industrial interests.
They just blow -dry his hair and then wheel him out in front of the cameras.
Stéphane Dion adds great gravitas, pomp and circumstance to his position as minister of foreign affairs by promenading about with a backpack on his shoulder.
Two days ago Trudeau finally mustered the courage to call one of the close family members of those killed in Burkina Faso in order to offer his condolences. They hung up on him.
Giving Raif citizenship would most certainly help his case. And if the Saudis were to pull out of the arms deals, there are many ways in which Canada could effectively retaliate.
All it takes is leadership
Is it possible to award citizenship to someone who hasn’t applied for it?
Pinkeen – I don’t know the exact answer, especially in Canada, but I know the US awarded Mother Theresa honorary American citizenship which as far as I know she didn’t request. But then, there is a big difference between Mother Theresa and Raif Badawi. One has a disgusting, perverted view of the world, and the other is in prison in Saudi Arabia.
Of course, Trudeau is also in that mode of not offending Muslims. Perhaps his wife will begin wearing a burka soon in solidarity.
but I know the US awarded Mother Theresa honorary American citizenship which as far as I know she didn’t request.
Yes, but honorary doesn’t come with a passport, does it? I don’t think it does anyway. Not full citizenship anyway. If you can simply deem someone a citizen of your country by fiat, there is a lot of room for abuse, no?
Meet the new boss – same as the old boss. It ain’t his dad’s liberal party. Still it’s a mark of shame for my country to be providing ANY military equipment to the saudi barbarians or any of their criminal “allies”. How many of those “weaponised armoured vehicles” will end up in Syria and Iraq being driven around by Daesh warriors?
Pinkeen – sorry, I know nothing about that. As someone who has never tried to become a citizen of any country, just accepting passively the country of my birth, I haven’t had a ton of experience with naturalization, other than in a handful of college courses that talked about it in very generic terms, and a few friends who went through it – since they chose that, I don’t have any experience.
However, I suspect that honorary citizen can mean whatever the country bestowing it chooses it to mean. I mean, honorary doctorates aren’t supposed to come with people being called doctor, but that often happens, so who knows?
Keeping in character. The Canadians betrayed William Sampson when he was framed and tortured by the Saudis. Oil trumps conscience and decency every time!
I suspect it would have been legal for them to give him the citizenship. Otherwise, why use the argument that it wouldn’t help him when they could more easily get away with saying sorry, but the law doesn’t allow it?
I’ve just written a column for Free Inquiry on that very subject. It will be in the next issue.