Empire of weasels

In some respects you almost have to admire the Harper gang.

That dogged determination to promote the seal hunt, even though at this point the government's cost to promote it outstrips the actual income it provides the seal hunters.

And by God we're not going to let some pointy-headed environmentalist types dictate our environment policies! Goodbye Kyoto - we didn't even get to know you...

And full speed ahead on asbestos exports. After all, for every hundred people the stuff kills in India or Pakistan, at least one miner in Quebec gets to keep a job.

Let's not even start with the tar sands.

Or John Baird's laughing-stock tour of Israel a few months back.

But old Vic Toews is taking a serious run at being the most ridiculous of the ridiculous.

The crusty old Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews has a number of distinctions in his political career. When he was Labour Minister in Manitoba he presided over the most strike-riddled period in the recent history of that province.

Later on he tried to introduce a "three-strikes" law in Canada. He's a dyed-in-the-wool law-and-order aficionado, old Vic is.

But he's out-doing himself on the Omar Khadr file.

Khadr was the 15 year old Afghan-Canadian kid who allegedly threw the grenade that killed an American soldier.

At 15 Khadr falls unambiguously into the category of "child soldier". He's been in Gitmo for the last ten years. After Obama promised to close Gitmo Canada agreed to repatriate him, but he's still there.

Now Mr. Toews is demanding that the US provide sealed evidence from Khadr's trial at a military tribunal before considering his repatriation.

Canada's treatment of Khadr is beyond shameful. Every Canadian should have the rights that Canada so loudly proclaims to the rest of the world.