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April 9, 2004
Outlaw suicide bombing: MPs
Motion could die if election called before the house votes, Day
warns.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Like rape and torture, suicide bombing has become a staple tactic
of war criminals, and some members of Parliament say it needs to
be explicitly condemned and outlawed in war crimes legislation.
Representatives from all four parties in the House of Commons sponsored
a motion last month that would give Canada the right to prosecute
individuals or groups who incite, organize, fund or encourage suicide
bombings. It would also provide encouragement for the federal government
to pursue a similar legal condemnation of suicide bombings at the
international level.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis, the New Democratic party MP for Winnipeg North
Centre and one of the motion's sponsors, said suicide bombing is
a phenomenon that needs to be addressed in Canadian and international
law.
"We know from the statistics how much suicide bombing has become
a tool in conflict situations," she said. "It has to be
included under the war crimes provisions, like rape, like torture."
The motion is now before the foreign affairs committee and the justice
committee of Parliament. Though it is next on the agenda, the motion
could yet be killed if an election is called before the whole house
votes on it, which Conservative MP Stockwell Day said would be a
tragedy.
Day told the Bulletin he is disappointed that the political
will was not strong enough within the foreign affairs committee
to move the motion back to the house before parliamentarians began
a two-week break, this week and next. Some members sought legal
counsel on the matter, which required expert witnesses to be brought
in, thereby delaying a vote until after the spring break. If an
election is called in the meantime, all unfinished business dies.
"Suicide bombing and the recruiting of suicide bombers is one
of the most vile practices known to man," said Day, a former
leader of the Canadian Alliance and a strong supporter of Israel.
"It's discouraging the political will isn't there at this point."
If the motion does come to a vote before Parliament is dissolved
for an election, it will likely pass, as representatives from all
parties have expressed support in principle.
The other MPs sponsoring the motion are Richard Marceau, the Bloc
Quebecios MP for Charlesbourg-Jacques-Cartier, and Anita Neville,
the Liberal MP for Winnipeg South Centre.
The issue also came up last week during a meeting between Prime
Minister Paul Martin and representatives of the Canadian Jewish
community. Leo Adler, director of national affairs for the Friends
of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies, attended the
meeting and said it got off to an unexpected start when the prime
minister acknowledged that anti-Semitism is a problem, but Islamophobia
is also a concern. Adler said the prime minister was reminded that
there is no organized movement to remove Islamic states from the
face of the earth.
"In fairness to the prime minister, he very quickly acknowledged
the difference," said Adler. In 1997, Adler noted, the United
Nations declared terrorist bombing to be a crime against humanity,
but Adler said international law must be amended to include those
who recruit, train, finance and encourage the suicide bombers since,
by definition, a suicide bomber cannot be brought to justice.
Adler said he hopes the prime minister will raise the issue of suicide
bombings in June at a meeting of the G-8. Similar condemnations
are currently being considered by the United States Congress and
the European parliament.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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