A new survey has found that the vast majority of Canadians feel the federal government made the wrong decision in settling a lawsuit with Omar Khadr by apologizing and paying him a reported $10.5 million in compensation for his treatment as a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.
The Angus Reid Institute survey indicates more than 71 percent are of the opinion that the government should have fought the case and left it to the courts to decide whether the former child soldier was wrongfully imprisoned.
The government’s decision to settle out of court was unpopular with at least two-thirds of residents in each region of the country. In Alberta, more than 85 percent say the wrong decision was made.
Overall, only one in three people (29 percent) say they would have pursued the path the government has taken—offering a formal apology and $10.5 million in compensation.
Toronto-born Khadr was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002 at age 15 for allegedly killing American soldier Sgt. Christopher Speer during a firefight. He was imprisoned at Guantanamo for 10 years. While there, he pleaded guilty to several charges and was convicted by an American military tribunal. He later retracted the guilty plea, saying it was made under duress.
