A new Angus Reid public opinion poll shows that most Canadians are absolutely content with Canada’s most famous “child soldier” facing a military commission in Guantanamo Bay.
46% agreed that the proper decision is to let Omar face prosecution in Cuba, with the highest number of people feeling that way residing in Alberta [56%]. Meanwhile, 36% of Canadians believe that Canada should demand Omar’s repatriation and face whatever punishment the government sees fit to give him here. Only in Quebec, unsurprisingly, did more people want Omar returned than left in Cuba.
Those numbers are up significantly from February, when Canadians were divided equally by 40% each. In August of 2009 the number of Canadians who wanted Omar to stay in Cuba had a slight edge over the other side by 42% to 40%. A ten per cent divide is large enough to suggest that people are comfortable with the direction being taken by the Americans, even if 42% don’t think he’ll get a fair trial. Only Ontarians, Albertans, and Atlantic Canadians believe that Omar Khadr will get a fair trial in Cuba, while people in BC, the prairies, and Quebec, don’t think he will. The latter province was the most pessimistic a fair trial would take place.
Even so, the gap between those who are hopeful Omar will get a fair trial and those who don’t has shrunk since February, when 47% disagreed to 39% who agreed.
Ultimately what it may come down to is the fact that most Canadians just don’t care about the young terrorist. The survey showed that 37% feel “sympathy” for Omar’s plight, while 50% do not. This was true for every province, including Quebec, where 43% did not sympathize, although 41% did sympathize, the highest in the country.
Additionally, 49% to 26% agreed with the Supreme Court decision that acknowledged the federal government cannot be forced to repatriate Khadr.
What we see from this poll is perhaps a lot different from what sense we get about the Khadr conundrum in the media, with Canadians being comfortable he’s in Cuba facing military justice, and that they by and large do not sympathize with a plight of his own creation.
“Most Canadians Peachy About Omar Khadr Being In Gitmo”
The only ones biching about it are the leftys and their low life brethren journalists and lawyers.
But … but … but I thought Liberals were so concerned about the common Canadian.
I thought journalists were the voice of the people.
I thought lawyers were noble defenders of the masses.
Then I grew up and thought differently.
They’re all garbage.
http://www.fivefeetoffury.com/:entry:fivefeet-2008-07-17-0000/
The above link has a picture of poor Omar carrying a bunch of trophy severed hands. Time for that photo to start making the rounds again.
Come on lawyers. Post some comments. Tell us all how you are so noble for standing side by side with this scumbag and his reeking family.
Come on ambulance chasing skeezes tell everyone what bright and shining living monuments to truth and justice you are.
I’d rather see Omar “shot while trying to escape”.Sort of like the Russians did with those Somali pirates they “released”.
But the last thing ANY Canadian wants to see is Omar back HERE,living off OUR taxpayer’s money while he “rehabilitates”.
At least almost every Canadian.
This issue would be polling in the 85 percent against Khadr coming back to Canada but alas MSM beats the drum on poor ole little Khadr being a victim. If he’s freed and brought back into Canada MSM deserves a fair bit of ridicule for their never ending support for his repatriation.
Rose, you know I think you raise an interesting point. Look at the way the question itself is framed in the poll. It’s certainly meant to elicit some sympathy based on the volunteering of information about age, the question of guilt, and the length of his wait for trial.
Eye for an eye for wee Omar.
You get to come back to Canada minus your hands, and one of your family members pays the price for your vicious, deadly act.
Omar’s choice.
Concern for the canadians? no dearest, they are concern alright but for themselves, their media.
The liberals are too ‘chichen shit’ to face their own problems regarding to OMAR so they found a culprit in the conservatives to cast their blame on. Of course, the media has to help the liberals.
How can the conservatives from 2006 be held responsible for OMAR KHADR when he was arrested in 2001 when Liberal Jean Chretien and the LPOC was in government from 1993-2005.
Now why is that Adrian?
Have you notice WTF, that the media didn’t go to GITMO to hug their love child Omar of the liberals yet they were in Mexico hugging and kissing Brenda Martin. Now why is that.
Watch “Taxi to the Dark Side”.
It’s a movie about how a bunch of soldiers who were at Bagram prison just kind of ended up beating two prisoners to death but it wasn’t their fault.
A soldier they called the “Monster” is in it. He was an interrogator and he was charged along with others but nobody was really responsible. It was sort of the system so nobody was sentenced to more than a few months.
The “Monster” met Khadr at that time when he was brought there after being in the fire fight and the bombing.
The “Monster” said later he felt sorry for Khadr because he was full of shrapnel and had two huge gun shot wounds in the back. And he thought Khadr was just a young kid who got caught up in something because of his family ties.
The “Monster” must be a bleeding heart liberal I guess, but it’s a good movie and you might get to see people being tortured.
No idea. The same question applies to Afghanistan.
Seen it. Not bad, but I think that it attempts to portray a false image that the Americans capture too many innocent people.
This is what I could find on Guantanamo detainees – Wikipedia, an article on the Obama Task Force which reviewed the cases of remaining prisoners and an article on the Pentagon’s “recidivism” reports.
775 (or 742) detainees captured since 2002 – 550 departed one way or another including approximately 420 released by the US without a charge, mostly by the Bush Admin. Of the remainder, 110 are recommended for release, 50 can’t be prosecuted but are recommended for indefinite detention, 35 are recommended for prosecution.
3 detainees have been convicted by the US to date. 2 have been released. 1 detainee was convicted and remains in prison.
The main problem seems to have been lack of knowledge about the detainees, many having been turned over for bounties without insufficient information about the reason.
See the affidavit by Col. Wilkerson (ret.) on the issue of innocent detainees based on his experiences.
The Pentagon says 10% of the departed detainees returned to, or took up, terrorism but most of them have been re-captured or killed. They suspect another 11 %. Supicious behaviour is said to include such things as making anti-American statements or complaining about their treatment during detention.
Re Dilawar in Taxi to the Darkside, an article, based on a leaked file related to the government’s investigation into the Bagram murders, says most of the interrogators thought he was just a taxi driver.
Col. Wilkerson affidavit:
http://www.truthout.org/files/Wilkerson.pdf
Article on leaked government file, Bagram investigation
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/international/asia/20abuse.html?_r=1