'No reason' Canadians detained in Syria should still be there, lawyer tells court
CTV
A lawyer for citizens detained in northern Syria who want to return to Canada says the federal government will continue to create obstacles and reverse decisions unless it is ordered to bring them home.
A lawyer for citizens detained in northern Syria who want to return to Canada says the federal government will continue to create obstacles and reverse decisions unless it is ordered to bring them home.
The Federal Court heard final arguments Friday in a challenge from family members of 23 Canadians held in Syria who say Ottawa is violating Charter rights by not arranging for their return.
Lawrence Greenspon, one of the lawyers representing detainees, questioned whether Global Affairs Canada could be trusted to appropriately deal with the issue in the absence of a court order to act.
"What is inevitable is that the government will continue to create obstacles ... they will continue to delay," he said. "They'll continue to create secret frameworks without notice, and then change their position at the last minute. That's what's inevitable."
The detainees are among many foreign nationals in Syrian camps run by Kurdish forces in regions reclaimed in the war-torn region from the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.
Lawyers sparred Friday over whether new evidence submitted by the applicants, including a letter from a United Nations special rapporteur, was relevant in determining if Canada breached procedural fairness when deciding whether the detainees should be repatriated.
The report includes details on how Canada's record of repatriating citizens held in the region compares to efforts by other countries.
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