Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Can I just speak?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Sure. We do have hate crime laws in this country, sir, but as we've seen in various situations, they're not being applied. We do need stricter laws dealing with incitement and the glorification of terror, and we do need to enforce those laws.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'll just comment briefly on a few of the family members. We know that his deceased father, Ahmed Said Khadr, was a friend of Osama bin Laden's. He was an alleged financier of terrorism. He sought to work with al-Qaeda; he moved his family to Afghanistan to do just that. And we know that from the views expressed by his family who remain alive today--it was Omar's sister who noted it--they all, the entire family, wished for martyrdom.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. In terms of what motivated Omar Khadr, I'm not exactly sure, as I've not spoken to him. However, when you look at the influences around him, you've got to start asking questions. What we as an organization have done is we've spent a fair bit of time looking at Islamic jihad, radical Islamic movements, and other terrorist movements, whether it's the Tamil Tigers or other non-state actors.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  And that is perfectly fine.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Let me try to address the three points you brought up. First you asked about evidence I may have. You can list Mr. Khadr's own defence counsel, Lieutenant-Commander William Kuebler, who expressed in front of this very committee that “it would be appropriate for the U.S. government not to want to repatriate him in such a way that he would fall in line with them and other influences in his immediate family”.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think those comments speak for themselves. You did raise the comments made by General Dallaire in front of this subcommittee. As a Canadian, I would like to say that I was quite appalled by his comments comparing Canada and the system he's being tried under today to al-Qaeda.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Should the father protect the young children, you ask? Should the mother protect the young children, I ask? Mothers have traditionally been the guardians of children. The father is now deceased; we can't hold him accountable. But should the mother protect the children? Should the siblings protect those under the age of 15?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As you've said, if he's 15 he's a minor. In Canadian law, minors are the wards of their parents. There are two parents involved here, a mother and a father. The mother is partially responsible for him. I don't know why you wish to ignore her role and responsibility in acting to protect her son from jihadist incitement, the quest for martyrdom, and wanting to get engaged with al-Qaeda, a known terrorist entity.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, it's partially the family's responsibility.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I said we should be investigating whether the provincial government should be looking into the role played by the family in contributing to that.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  We said in our statement: Such statements call on us to ask why this Subcommittee on Human Rights, the Minister of Justice, and even the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, are not investigating the Khadr Family's possible role in leading Omar Khadr down the path to martyrdom?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I believe the question was whether he is being treated appropriately, and I do believe he is currently being treated appropriately. There were violations, which we have acknowledged and the U.S. Supreme Court has acknowledged. There have been steps to remedy those violations. So at this current point, and from when the U.S.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That is your opinion, and you're welcome to it, but as I've noted, we've not tried to whitewash the fact that violations took place, violations that were acknowledged by the U.S. Supreme Court. Since those decisions, actions have been taken to remedy those violations, and it is our belief that he is being treated appropriately.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. With regard to your comments about the Geneva convention, in my brief statement I did not go into that convention. I'm not an expert on the Geneva convention, nor did I claim to be. I simply stated that we believe he's being treated appropriately at this point. As for your question about family responsibility, I think there is ample evidence that this family may have contributed to brainwashing him, to manipulating him, and perhaps to coaxing him into becoming a jihadist.