TRUDEAU HECKLED AT HAMILTON TOWN HALL OVER KHADR PAYMENT
Jan 10, 2018
By Bob Komsic
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The federal government’s controversial $10.5-million settlement with former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr continues to haunt Justin Trudeau.
(Nathan Denette / Canadian Press)
During a town hall meeting at Hamilton’s McMaster University, a young woman heckled the prime minister about the payment.
Trudeau told her and others gathered in the university gym, he too is angry, pointing out that money could have gone toward programs to help Canadians but that had the government not settled a lawsuit could have cost between $30 and $40-million.
He also told the town hall he wants everyone to continue to be angry that a Canadian government had to pay that money and to take it as a lesson that in the future no Canadian government should ”ever” think it’s okay to allow a Canadian, ”no matter how unpopular they may be,” to be tortured.
”That is not how we do things in Canada,” said Trudeau which prompted many in the audience to stand and cheer.