I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a citizen of a country. Doesn’t have to be Canada, could be wherever you are from. No matter where that is, being a citizen should be something that brings you comfort, that makes you proud. It should be an honour to be a member of the society you are most proud of – usually from whence you came.

A singular example exists of where Do What’s Right was not considered and probably should have been.  An example that will come back to bite those who were involved in it.

Before I get to that example, I want to go back to what citizenship means. To me, being Canadian is a huge privilege and honour. I am immensely proud of this country and, by and large, the people in it.  I was lucky to have been born here, and raised here, with Canadian values and perks. I look around the world, and think – is there anywhere else I’d like to have citizenship? Iceland maybe – free university. Though it’s pretty expensive to live there. Plus its – well – a lot of ice. The UK came to mind – but there was the whole Brexit thing. And no free healthcare. (not that ours is free but that’s another blog) The US also popped up, but again that healthcare thing, and I’m not sure I fit in with the brashness of their citizenship. I get it, they are super proud of their country too. Canadians are less brash about their pride is what I’m getting at.

So the answer is then, no. There is no other country I would prefer to be a citizen of. I am quite happy with Canada.

Back to that example. It’s a touchy subject, that of Mr. Omar Khadr.

Mr. Khadr was born in 1986 to two immigrants who themselves moved from Pakistan to become citizens of Canada. Note, that the family kept a residence in Pakistan. Omar was shuttled back and forth from Canada to Pakistan from day one. He wasn’t allowed to “be” Canadian other than in name only. It’s said the family didn’t like the “western influences” on the children.

In 1992, he was enrolled in school in Toronto while his father recovered from a very serious injury sustained in Afghanistan. (there’s that healthcare thing again) But in 1995, the father then moved them to Afghanistan.  So for the sake of argument, lets say that Omar spent on the outside, 5 years of his life so far, in the country. I think that’s being generous. He was not allowed to participate in Canadian culture, instead was immersed in a culture far different from Canada.

It’s a culture I do not understand, that I cannot wrap my head around. A culture where children grow up in constant war. Where children are taught to hate their perceived enemy. Where children at the age of 10 have probably witnessed people killed in front of them. Why would a man immerse his family in such a culture, when he had the option of living in the complete opposite? We will never know.

Fast forward. Omar is now 16 years old. Canada is a faint memory to him. He is  involved in, what some might call, the front line of the war with the United States and Afghanistan. Just not the front line you might think. He was on the opposite side of the United States. Armed with an AK-47 and grenades, he was involved in a short lived battle which saw him gravely injured. He had done his own damage, gravely injuring a US soldier who would later die. He reportedly asked the US soldiers who found him to kill him. He was taken instead to a hospital for treatment. He asked the medics to kill him, before he lost consciousness.

Here’s where it gets back to citizenship. Omar was take to Guantanamo prison. The youngest held there. Though he was 16, he was treated as an adult. The US notified Canada that one of it’s citizens was being held. Canada asked for two things. The first of which was access to Omar before he left for Guantanamo. Access was denied to Canada. Canada tried to use diplomacy with the US to arrange special circumstances for Omar because of his age. Again, denied. It was not until Omar was being held in Guantanamo that an officer of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was allowed to see Omar. The report at that time was that Omar was acting tough. Don’t all 16 year olds?

It was not until a lawsuit launched against the Canadian government , that this case in any way shape or form breathed a word about citizenship.  Suddenly that Canadian citizenship was valuable! It meant he may not remain in Guantanamo. It meant he may not be killed, which I am sure he thought he would be. Now, being Canadian meant something to him.

But should it have?

I go back to my original statement. Citizenship should be an honour. Not a convenience. Not a handy tool in your back pocket to get out of jail.

Omar was 16 years old. He didn’t give Canada a second thought when he was training to fight the hand that would eventually save him. Canada was just a place he was born, until he needed it’s protective wing. Canada is an ally of the United States. It took Canada a lot longer to get involved in Afghanistan,  but we did. Did this not make Canada, Omar’s enemy?

In the end, Canada awarded Omar $10.5 million dollars in settlement. Settlement for its part in his incarceration in Guantanamo and failure to protect one of it’s citizens.

Is it right? I do not mean the money.  The lawsuit was lost and Canada was proven to have been a part of the abuse of citizenship rights. Right or wrong, the settlement is not out of character or the norm. What I question is, is it right to consider him a citizen?

But for the sake of 159 kilometers or 99 miles, Mr. Khadr was born in Canada, not the United States. Best case, he has spent a total of a few years here – not allowed to be involved in the culture of being Canadian. It was not until his automatic Canadian citizenship became something he could use to get out of jail, that he even considered being Canadian. Is it right then than we consider him a citizen and offer protection?

Is it right we offer anyone in this kind of situation the same thing? I don’t think so. The particular elements of Mr. Khadr’s case clouds the  waters in that he wasn’t “allowed” to be a Canadian citizen and the horrors that befell him are too awful to consider. For Mr. Khadr, and possibly lots of other kids like him, citizenship is for convenience, not a birthright to be proud of.

I do not take lightly anything that happened to Omar, and all of those who had a hand in it. I do not think he was fairly treated by the US and in a lot of ways by Canada. But this case now becomes a precedent. One I do not think Canada wants to be aligned with. I think we need to re-examine what citizenship really means, and who gets to call themselves Canadian. Being born here is one thing. BEING Canadian is quite another.  It’s that subtle distinction that I think needs far further clarification. Mostly because I do not think Mr. Khadr is the only “citizen” we will see in cases like this.

We need to Do What’s Right, and rethink our citizenship laws. Citizenship should be part of who you are, or whom you selected to be. Not a convenience for healthcare, taxes, or in some cases, being involved in a war with our ally.

Something to think about, MPs, as you return to the House this Fall.