RCMP won't investigate George W. Bush; British MP George Galloway banned from Canada

The RCMP officer in charge of Canada's War Crimes Section has offered a written explanation why his office will not investigate former U.S. president George W. Bush.

In a March 19  letter to Gail Davidson of Lawyers Against the War, Insp. Ron Charlebois wrote that in keeping with Canada's War Crime Program and the RCMP's internal policy, his section focuses investigative efforts on people who are living in Canada on an ongoing basis.

"This approach is consistent with the primary objective of the War Crimes Program, which is to ensure that Canada is not a 'safe haven' for such persons," Charlebois wrote. "For these reasons, the RCMP War Crimes Section will not initiate an investigation of former US President George Bush further to his brief visit to Alberta."

Davidson wrote to the RCMP War Crimes Section on March 11 requesting an investigation relating to allegations by legal groups that  Bush was complicit in torture. Bush visited Calgary on March 17.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a foreign national is inadmissible if he commits offences referred to in Sections four to seven of the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes  Act.

In 2004, Davidson laid seven torture-related criminal charges against Bush in Vancouver provincial court. Judge William Kitchen later declared those charges a "nullity", which meant that they never existed in law.

Meanwhile, the  Toronto Star  has reported that the Canadian government refused to allow British MP George Galloway into Canada. According to the paper, Galloway has been deemed inadmissable on national security grounds because he has offered financial support to Hamas and other groups deemed to be terrorists by the Canadian government.

Galloway, a fierce opponent of the U.S.-led attack on Iraq and Afghanistan, was scheduled to give a speech in the Toronto area on March 30.

Comments

3 Comments

sleepswithangels

Mar 21, 2009 at 9:51am

I listened to Ignatieff being interviewed about this issue and for a smart guy he sure sounded major league dumb. He said he had listened to Galloway's speeches and hadn't believed a single thing he said but he thought it was OK for people to come to Canada and spout gibberish.

Didn't believe a single thing Galloway said? Galloway said this on Al Jazeera on June 20, 2005: "They (US and UK) are the real rogue states breaking international law, invading other people's countries, killing their children in the name of anti-terrorism, when in fact, all they're achieving is to make more terrorists in the world, not less, to make the world more dangerous, rather than less."

Ig's condemnation of Galloway is going to cost him dearly among the 62% of voters who didn't vote for Harper and most likely would agree with Galloway's assessment of the war criminal regime that Harper was so closely aligned with.

DJ BALL

Mar 21, 2009 at 1:41pm

This was sent to every member of parliament and over 50 media outlets this morning. it took me 40 minutes. better than watching tv.

Dear Honorable Mp,

I beg you to pull our country out of the hypocritical abyss that Prime Minister Harper and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney seem intent on driving into.
By allowing the self-admitted, torture authorizer, George W Bush into our country last week our government chose to ignore it's own laws and make an exception for one of the most despised criminals on the planet. Many of us felt disgraced by this visit and worked hard to get some of you to do your job.
There are hundreds of organizations around the world working to bring the Bush Administration to justice.
Our emails and petitions were ignored as nobody in our government showed any backbone to fight for human rights and the Geneva Conventions.
Quite sad considering many Canadians have died to protect these rights. Enabling a war criminal to collect his blood money is what was accomplished last week.
We would expect nothing less from Calgary Oil executives (many of which are from Dallas and Houston) who see nothing but dollar signs and tend to be overwhelmingly racist but for our elected officials to stay silent and be complicit in aiding and abetting the Torturer and Thief is quite pathetic.
There is no doubt that the Bush administration purposefully lied the United States and the World, into war, and sent the planet into chaos for what was always an obvious oil grab.
These blatant lies have lead to hundreds of thousands of slaughtered Iraqi's and millions displaced.
Is this not a war crime of the highest degree ?
Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney both admitted to authorizing water boarding before leaving their disgraced office. This is fact. Undeniable.
Waterboarding is a form of torture which Japanese officers were executed for administering after WWII. This is fact also undeniable.
Is torture not a crime of the highest degree ?
There is no grey area here. Mass murder, torture shouldn't be up for debate.
The fact that you have chosen to look the other way is not politically correct, it's reprehensible and most cowardly.

Mr Bush has endangered the lives of every member of our armed forces that serve on foreign soil by his torture and rendition programs.

Recently Col. Lawrence Wilkinson , former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, came out exposing the high level of war crimes/crimes against humanity that Bush Administration officials have committed vis a vis Guantanomo,Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the detainees was a 13 year-old boy and a man over 90. This should be required reading for all of you. http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2009/03/some_truths_abo/

Less than 1% of the tens of thousands of detainees were even combatants.
Instead, innocent civilians were grossly abused, tortured and violated, by the Bush Administration's vile policy.
Most were peasants, farmers,and even taxi drivers and were handed over for a bounty from warlords.
Please listen to credible people like Col.Wilkenson and the lead investigator into prisoner abuse/torture Maj.Gen.Antonio Mario Taguba.
In June 2008, Maj.GenTaguba wrote the preface to a report by Physicians for Human Rights on prisoner abuse and torture at Abu Ghraib prison, in Guantanamo Bay, and in Afghanistan. In it, he accused the Bush administration of committing war crimes and called for the prosecution of those responsible. He wrote, "There is no longer any doubt that the current administration committed war crimes. The only question is whether those who ordered torture will be held to account."
It's beyond reprehensible that Canadian politicians can't find their moral compass when it comes to standing up for human rights.
Allowing war criminals such as George Bush,Colin Powell,Dick Cheney,Donald Rumsfeld, Condaleeza Rice, John Yoo etc.... should not be allowed to happen.
We have strong laws on our books regarding anyone even being suspected of torture. Deny entry or arrest on site.
Instead you all "looked the other way". Pathetic.

Recently in Calgary the CPS arrested a citizen who attempted a citizens arrest on Mr Bush.
Mr Boncore, deserves a medal, instead he received a beating and a court date.

The ridiculous hypocrisy i allude to at the beginning of my plea relates to the recent banning of British MP George Galloway.
While Israel was targeting and bombing U.N relief stations (war crimes) in Gaza, Mr Galloway was trying to bring aid.
Israel committed massive atrocities in Gaza while the Canadian government stayed silent. Many innocent woman and children were massacred.

The hypocrisy of banning a peace activist and allowing a war criminal would be humorous if the results weren't so damaging to Canada's reputation around the world.

I beg you, as honorable representives of all Canadians to start defending our nation's image as Prime Minister Harper and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney only seem to care about the needs of special interests such the Oil Industry and attack dog groups like the JDL who interestingly enough have their own terrorist history. The JDL was specifically referenced by the FBI's Executive Assistant Director Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence, John S. Pistole, in his formal report before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States.

This has been a disgraceful week for our country and i hope that you find the decency and the courage to follow your moral compass and start pulling Canada out of the terrible abyss that Prime MInister Harper and his minions have throw us into.

I call on you to reverse British MP Galloway's banishment as it's nothing more than an attack on free speech and blatant anti-war censorship.
I also call on you to investigate the obstruction of justice and subsequent beating of Mr John Boncore (by the Calgary Police ) Mr Boncore showed more courage than anybody in the nation last week by attempting a citizens arrest on Mr Bush. He deserves a medal.

History will not look fondly upon those that aided and abetted war criminals. ask yourself this.
Does that label fit President Bush and his cronies or the peace activists that have been banned and beaten in the past 6 days ?

This country is almost unrecognizable. It's time you fought for it.

I thank you for taking the time to consider this letter and to reply,

yours truly

D.J BALL
Vancouver B.C

steek

Mar 21, 2009 at 5:22pm

steek Hey we did not go after Teiban Jack when he budied up to the Quebec bunch, we used to shot people for that kind of treason.