(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada remain skeptical about their government's ability to assist them if they were detained in a foreign country, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 53 per cent of respondents are not confident that the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) would come to their aid, up three points since February.

In January, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper issued an official apology and announced a $9 million U.S. compensation package for Canadian citizen Maher Arar, adding, "We can make changes to (reduce the likelihood) that something like this will ever happen again."

In September 2002, American immigration agents detained Arar under allegations that he had links to the al-Qaeda network. He was deported to Syria—where he was born—despite the fact that he carried a Canadian passport. In October 2003, Arar returned to Canada after spending more than a year in a Syrian prison, where he claims to have been tortured.

In May, dual Chinese-Canadian citizen Huseyin Celil was sentenced to life in prison in China on terrorism charges. Celil was originally detained in 1994 for establishing a minority political party, and has been accused of plotting the assassination of a political leader in Kyrgyzstan. The Canadian government believes there is no clear evidence that Celil has committed any offences.

Earlier this month, Canadian anti-narcotics officer Bert Tatham was sentenced to four years in jail in the United Arab Emirates after he was caught with 0.6 grams of hashish and two poppy bulbs. Lawyer Saeed al-Gailani argued, to no avail, that Tatham "inadvertently" carried the drugs because his job entailed eradicating opium crops.

Omar Khadr—a Canadian born in Toronto and the son of al-Qaeda fighter Ahmed Said Khadr—was detained by the United States military in Afghanistan in July 2002, after allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a special forces medic. Omar Khadr was 15 at the time.

On Jun. 4, U.S. military judge Peter Brownback dismissed the charges of murder and terrorism against Omar Khadr, claiming he was authorized to try "unlawful enemy combatants" exclusively. An earlier review had deemed Omar Khadr was an "enemy combatant." Although the charges against Omar Khadr have been dismissed, he remains in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. 51 per cent of respondents think the Canadian government should actively intervene to secure his release, up 10 points since early June.

On Jun. 13, Canadian foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay said the federal government has not requested that Omar Khadr be released to Canadian custody, adding, "We're going to continue to provide consular access, as we do in the case of all Canadians."

Polling Data

Suppose that you were detained in a foreign country. Are you confident that Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) would come to your assistance?

As you may know, an American military judge recently dropped the charges of murder and terrorism against Canadian citizen Omar Khadr, who has spent almost five years in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, due to a technicality. Khadr, the son of al-Qaeda fighter Ahmed Said Khadr, was 15 when the alleged incident took place. Do you agree or disagree with the Canadian government actively intervening to secure Omar Khadr's release?

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