Alexandre Trudeau Letter

27  February  2016    

The  Honorable  Minister  Ralph  Goodale   House  of  Commons   Ottawa,  Ontario   Canada  K1A  0A6     Dear  Minister  Goodale,     I  write  concerning  UN  Convention  refugee  Mohamed  Harkat,  who  faces  deportation  to   torture  from  Canada  to  Algeria  under  a  controversial  Security  Certificate.       I  write  to  ask  that  you  allow  Mohamed  Harkat  to  stay  in  Canada.  Moe  considers  himself   Canadian:  he  loves  this  country,  he  came  here  to  escape  persecution  and  for  a  better   life,  and  he  does  not  belong  anywhere  else.       Under  an  opening  in  the  law  governing  Security  Certificates  (section  42.1  of  the   Immigration  and  Refugee  Protection  Act)  you  as  Minister  have  the  power  to  decide  that   allowing  Mohamed  to  stay  in  Canada  is  not  contrary  to  the  national  interest.     Mohamed  has  spent  most  of  his  adult  life  in  Canada,  and  has  built  a  strong  and   supportive  network  of  family  and  friends  who  value  his  contribution  to  this  country,  to   the  community,  and  to  their  lives.       Under  Security  Certificates,  which  I  have  publically  opposed  as  a  fundamentally  unfair   measure,  neither  Mohammed  nor  the  Canadian  public  can  challenge  the  evidence  held   against  him.  Nonetheless  I  personally  doubt  that  he  was  ever  the  danger  to  Canada  that   he  was  once  determined  to  be.  In  fact,  in  September  2009,  the  court  dropped  the   conditions  significantly  after  CSIS  admitted  that  he  was  not  the  threat  initially  thought.     Furthermore  I  am  absolutely  convinced  that  at  this  moment,  he  poses  no  danger   whatsoever  to  the  public  or  to  public  safety  in  Canada,  but  rather  offers  a  positive   commitment  to  the  life  he  has  created  here.     Just  as  importantly,  Canadian  and  international  law  prohibit  complicity  in  torture,  and   there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  Mohamed’s  deportation  to  Algeria  could  lead  to  his   torture.  Amnesty  International  has  exposed  Algeria’s  poor  human  rights  record,  and  it   would  be  naïve  not  to  fear  for  Mohamed’s  fate  there.     Since  2009  all  of  the  assessments  done  by  CBSA,  CSIS  and  Federal  Court  Justice  Noel   state  very  clearly  that  Mohamed  is  at  the  very  low  end  of  risk.  Moe  respects  his   conditions  completely  and  would  never  do  anything  to  jeopardize  them  or  to  let  down   the  large  circle  of  family,  friends  and  supporters  he  has  built  here  over  the  years.  He  has  

become  a  recognized  figure  across  the  country,  and  he  understands  how  important  that   is  to  us  all.   It  is  hard  to  imagine  how  difficult  life  has  been  for  Mohamed  and  his  wife  Sophie,  who   have  had  to  deal  with  secret  allegations,  separation  and  long-­‐term  solitary  confinement,   very  invasive  house  arrest  conditions  that  completely  robbed  them  of  privacy,  and  the   kinds  of  accusations  that  can  ruin  one's  reputation  and  life.  And  yet  from  what  I  can  see,   they  maintain  a  hopeful,  positive  attitude,  believing  in  a  sense  of  justice  prevailing.   I  urge  you  to  use  your  unique  position  as  Minister,  and  the  discretion  afforded  to  you   under  the  law,  to  exempt  Mohamed  Harkat  from  deportation  and  let  him  stay  and  live  a   productive  life  in  Canada.  Make  this  decision  of  yours  another  shining  example  of  your   government’s  commitment  to  sunny  ways.     Sincerely,  

Alexandre  Trudeau