U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins told CTV television Thursday that it was “offensive” his country was on any such torture list and it should be removed.

Stephen Harper and The New Conservatives wouldn’t want to offend you Mr. Wilkins.
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So let the spin begin.

Canada’s ally and neighbour certainly has a government that has decided torture is acceptable.
We have gotten very good at looking the other way.
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Deny the Canadian government is training it’s foreign officials to recognize torture used on detainees by the US.
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The Canadian government says to Canadians that this training, (evidence in a court case) is ‘just’ training what’s next?

Canadian officials asked for the document (Power Point presentation) back, saying it was a mistake.

Amnesty obtained the document as part of legal disclosure in its lawsuit that challenges the federal government’s policy of transferring detainees captured by the Canadian Forces to the Afghanistan custody.

Amnesty International Canada’s Alex Neve, discussing a Canadian still detained at Guantanamo Bay:

“The significance for Canada is that the Canadian government has never come out and said anything to the U.S. about these practices. Worse, we have a Canadian in that facility,” said Champ. “It’s just incredible that our government, having acknowledged that there’s torture going on in that location won’t do anything to get a Canadian citizen out of that environment.”

Neve said that the documents reveals the “disconnect” between what diplomats heading into the field are being told and the government’s policy at the political level.

So truth strains relationships between friendly countries.
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“We still, as a nation, have taken no forceful human rights position with respect to Guantanamo Bay. That’s a source of shame. And now with this document we’re also seeing that it’s a contradiction,” said Neve.

The office of Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier declined an interview.
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“It is not a policy document or any kind of a statement of policy. As such it does not convey the government’s views or positions,” said a statement released Thursday night. “The training manual purposely raised public issues to stimulate discussion and debate in the classroom.”

The document surfaced on the same day a Federal Court judge struck down a controversial refugee agreement with the United States, saying Canada has failed to ensure that the U.S. respects international rules governing torture and refugee rights.

However, no sooner did Justice Michael Phelan declare the Safe Third Country Agreement would cease to take effect on Feb. 1 than the federal government announced it will appeal the ruling and apply for a stay until the case is ruled on by higher courts.

Yes, this is our shame.
And it looks like we’re going to add to it.
And Mr. Wilkins sir, this Canadian will express disgust at Maxime Bernier and Canada’s New Government.
And at Canada’s public lack of a spine.
And at the lack of our own.

What can the Canadian voter do?
a) Write your MP and insist Canadian diplomatic training include the US until such time the US government regains it’s moral compass.
b) Tell your MP what you expect the federal government’s position to be on human rights and enforcement of The Geneva Convention and the UN Convention on Torture.
c) Express your position on human rights to the current federal government.
d) Next election, vote. Vote for politicians who won’t waffle, kowtow, back peddle, ignore or retract a national position regarding torture.
Canadians have an opportunity, a privilege and a responsibility to speak to our elected officials while they spin their convenient moral turpitude.

Joe Carter of the Evangelical Outpost. Our Tortured Silence:

Even more disturbing than the idea that a future attorney general doesn’t know what’s involved in waterboarding is that we live in an age when a familiarity with torture techniques is to be expected of our leaders. How did we get to the point where such a question needs to be asked of an attorney general? Who allowed our country to succumb to such fear and moral cowardice that we parse the the meaning and definition of “torture?”

I blame myself, and implicate my fellow Christians. We have remained silent and treated an issue once considered unthinkable–the acceptability of torture–like a concept worthy of honest debate. But there is no room for debate: torture is immoral and should be clearly and forcefully denounced. We continue to shame ourselves and our Creator by refusing to speak out against such outrages to human dignity.

Please excuse me, I have some emails to send to Canada’s New Government.
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