Canadians captured abroad face an unhelpful government

The government has argued conditions in northern Syria make it too difficult to provide the assistance needed to see imprisoned Canadians return to Canada.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau, pictured February 2020, commenting that the release of a woman detained in Syria was not a ‘Canadian initiative’ reflects a lack of initiative by this government with other Canadians detained by other countries.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY GAR PARDY

July 21, 2021

One of the great shibboleths of Canadian foreign policy is that the government is there to help when you are in serious trouble in a foreign country. Many believe there is a legal duty to provide help and this is supported by the political imperative of doing so

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