British anti-war MP George Galloway has been deemed inadmissible to Canada on security grounds and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney will not intervene to allow him entry to the country as part of his North-American speaking tour.
Galloway called the decision “irrational, inexplicable and an affront to Canada’s good name,” in a statement posted today on his website.
He said he plans to talk with organizers of the tour and explore legal options to challenge the ban. Galloway was supposed to speak in Toronto on March 30 at an event hosted by the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War.
The British parliamentarian has been an outspoken critic of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including Canada’s involvement.
“All right-thinking Canadians, whether they agree with me over the wisdom of sending troops to Afghanistan or not, will oppose this outrageous decision,” said Galloway on his website.
Critics of the decision have said it violates freedom of speech and Canadians’ rights to hear what they want.
“The Minister of Immigration is becoming the Minister of Censorship,” said NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow in a press release.
She later told The Hook she sees the decision as part of a bigger trend of the Conservative government.
“They have a history of being afraid of people that speak out for peace,” she said in an interview.
In January, University of Illinois at Chicago professor Bill Ayers was turned back at the border. Ayers, a former member of the 1960s radical Weather Underground group, was supposed to speak at a conference in Toronto on educational reform.
And in 2007, prominent American peace activists Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright were also barred entry into Canada.
“There’s a pattern here and it’s called censorship,” Chow told The Hook.
The decision to ban Galloway was made by the Canada Border and Services Agency based on s.34(1) of the Immigration Act.
The act states:
34. (1) A permanent resident or a foreign national is inadmissible on security grounds for
(a) engaging in an act of espionage or an act of subversion against a democratic government, institution or process as they are understood in Canada;
(b) engaging in or instigating the subversion by force of any government;
(c) engaging in terrorism;
(d) being a danger to the security of Canada;
(e) engaging in acts of violence that would or might endanger the lives or safety of persons in Canada; or
(f) being a member of an organization that there are reasonable grounds to believe engages, has engaged or will engage in acts referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c).
The law allows the immigration minister the power to intervene but Kenney has stated he will not do so.
“The responsibility lies square on the hands of the Conservative government,” Chow said.
News of Galloway’s barring comes the same week as legal and rights advocates unsuccessfully tried to bar former U.S. President George W. Bush from Canada for a speaking engagement in Calgary.
Garrett Zehr reports for The Hook.
14
Login or register to post comments
Grumpy
3 years ago
EVIL
Quote:
"Galloway called the decision “irrational, inexplicable and an affront to Canada’s good name".
Canada doesn't have a good name and ever since the Trudeau era, Canada has been regarded as a lap dog of the USA.
This decision is not just an embarrassment, it is an Orwellian gambit to pervert the truth by the PM.
More and more, Canada is becoming a police state, where are freedoms are b being trampled by an ever increasingly corrupt governments.
G West
3 years ago
For God's sake
The man came to the USA and spoke in public during the Bush years and was highly critical of that regime.
What in the name of all that's holy are Kenney and Harper afraid of?
Every Canadian who can type should shower these thugs with emails.
Disgusting - as if there weren't enough reasons to be ashamed and embarrassed by this government.
Harper's email is:
Kenney's is:
Bernard
3 years ago
Terry Glavin has a different take
Http://transmontanus.blogspot.com
G West
3 years ago
I'm not surprised
Terry really doesn't care for free speech unless it happens to be his.
You might care to scan the comments section of his infamous blog for evidence of his commitment to debate and discussion.
You won't find any - except for that small circle of friends who spout Terry's party line.
G West
3 years ago
Perhaps you could alsto check what
The BC Civil Liberties Association has to say on the subject:
Here's a link to a copy of THEIR news release:
http://www.bccla.org/pressreleases/09BritishMP.pdf
Van Isle
3 years ago
So, Galloway is a
So, Galloway is a spokesperson for Islamic fundamentalists? So? At least let him speak. What article did the border services give in denying Mr. Galloway entry into Canada? Being a British MP should give him some cred.
Van Isle
3 years ago
Seems strange that our
Seems strange that our government won't let a nutbar into our country, but earlier this week they did allow a war criminal in to speak in Calgary.
sunshine coast girl
3 years ago
here's my letter, copied to the PM
Minister Kenney:
This situation is getting more and more outrageous!! How dare you allow a British MP, one of the Queen's representatives and an allied country to be treated with such disrespect! If the shoe was on the other foot and a member of your government was being treated in this manner by England, you would (quite rightly) be outraged! George Galloway opposes the deployment of Nato troops to Afghanistan and your spokesperson confirms that opposition makes him "inadmissable" to Canada. If that is the criteria, then I am also "inadmissable" to Canada, as are nearly 1/2 of Canadians. Are you going to remove all of us as well?
And not to practise even common courtesy by informing him of the decision until after the media was informed is unconscionable rudeness! Who does your government think they are? The George Bush government?? In case you haven't noticed, the George Bush era is over.
You claim that our troops are in Afghanistan to promote democracy and the right to free speech without fear of reprisal. It's a little hypocritical to try and pass that off when apparently, the same is not practised in our own country.
sunshine coast girl
3 years ago
And here's the one I sent to George Galloway..
Dear Minister Galloway:
On behalf on my family and the families of the nearly 1/2 of Canadians who do not support this invasion of Afghanistan, please let me apologize for the inexcusably rude actions of my government in denying you entry to Canada. Unfortunately, our government does not recognize that its people does not treat prospective visitors so rudely. In fact, they even treat us that rudely.
I have written several letters to my government protesting this action, as I'm sure have many, many thousands of other Canadians. Hopefully, they will hear us and intervene with offers of hospitality.
Again, my deepest apologies for their rudeness.
G West
3 years ago
Very nicely done sunshine coast girl
I hope thousands of emails plug their inboxes in the next few hours - it's not what they deserve, but, for the moment it'll do.
Kechika River
3 years ago
the reason
George Galloway is`nt just another anti-war activist. There are many of them that our govt. does`nt worry about.
Everyone seems to have missed the point that G.G. is an outspoken critic of the Israeli Zionist policies of apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people and most recently led an aid convoy into Gaza after the 22 day attack on that helpless population.
"What are kenney and Harper afraid of?"
The truth. To have this man exposing the criminal atrocities of the Israeli regime on a speaking tour in Canada just would`nt fly. Keep him out. There`ll be
a few days of email protest and then "so
what?"
Vanisle, you`d have done better to call Terry Glavin a nutbar....let me modify that; a raving foaming at the mouth, nutbar.
I`m disgusted with our governments, they just don`t give a $hit.
realisticman
3 years ago
It would have been worth the trip to Mississauga...
...just to hear him speak.
Galloway once stated "I am on the anti-imperialist left... If you are asking did I support the Soviet Union, yes I did. Yes, I did support the Soviet Union, and I think the disappearance of the Soviet Union is the biggest catastrophe of my life."
A colourful character.
G West
3 years ago
R/man
I assume you've sent your little note to Kenney and Pee Wee then.
Well done!
realisticman
3 years ago
No Need
I'm sure they read the Tyee.
Is the other guy another of your heroes? Professor Bill Ayers, a lovely denied quote;
"Larry Grathwohl, an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated The Weather Underground, claimed that Ayers wanted to overthrow the United States government. In an interview in January 2009, Grathwohl stated that:
"The thing the most bone chilling thing Bill Ayers said to me was that after the revolution succeeded and the government was overthrown, they believed they would have to eliminate 25 million Americans who would not conform to the new order."
We can always catch 'em on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLqplbwD644
If only Carole could generate this euphoria!