Hard on the heels of a Con campaign against “war criminals” at least two of whom are unknown to authorities in their own countries, comes a strategic leak about Abousfian Abdelrazik and a thinly-veiled threat to progressive Canadians from Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney.
Strategic? You betcha.
The documents on which La Presse has based both of its reports have never been disclosed to either Charkaoui’s or Abdelrazik’s legal team, nor made public in court proceedings. It’s not known whether both La Presse reports are based on intelligence from the same intercepted conversation Charkaoui had, but the newspaper confirmed to CBC News that its two stories stem from different types of documents.
A desperate attempt to smear a Canadian who is presently suing the Con government for complicity in his torture? And whose application to be taken off the UN no-fly “1267” list is even now under active consideration, with a decision expected in a few weeks? Coincidence? You decide.
Boris over at The Galloping Beaver asks all of the right questions. Odd, isn’t it, that an old “CSIS document” is now floating around allegedly connecting Abdelrazik with a terror plot, when CSIS (and the RCMP) have actually cleared him of any connection whatever to terrorism?
Meanwhile, Kenney “has a warning”
…for those who’d been working with Charkaoui and Abdelrazik to clear their names, or had gone “to the extent of treating such people as folk heroes.”
“All I can say is that I hope those who form these political support groups for individuals who have been the focus of security certificates or similar extraordinary efforts on the part of government think very carefully about this,” added Kenney.
Two words for you, you despicable Con-artist. And they aren’t Happy Birthday.
ADDENDUM: Reader Holly Stick sends a link to today’s CBC’s Power and Politics podcast. This new “revelation” is discussed by Stockwell Day, Marcella Munro of Earnscliffe Strategy and former Liberal MP Karen Redman.