OTTAWA – A campaign to protect Canadians abroad was launched today by New Democrat Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre). Dewar was joined by Gar Pardy, former Director General of the Consular Affairs Bureau.

The first phase of the campaign includes a motion presented to Parliament and a petition to gather public input on the issue. These actions will be followed by the presentation of legislation on the same subject.

“Canadians are increasingly worried that the government does not recognize its constitutional duty to protect our citizens abroad,” said Dewar. “This public campaign is meant to gather the voices of Canadians from every corner of the country calling on the government to fix the system.”

Dewar’s motion M-425 calls on the government to:

• Recognize its constitutional duty to protect Canadian citizens abroad;
• Enact legislation to ensure the consistent and non-discriminatorily provision of consular services to all Canadians in distress; and
• Create an independent ombudsperson’s office responsible for monitoring the government’s performance and ordering the Minister of Foreign Affairs to give protection to a Canadian in distress if the Minister otherwise refuses protection.

“The proposal put forward in this motion would ensure the protection of Canadians abroad,” said Gar Pardy. “I am adding my name and my voice to this petition to call on the government to take these steps to ensure the equal protection of any Canadian in distress abroad.”

Dewar invited the government and the other parties in the House of Commons to focus on these proposals and take immediate action to ensure the protection of all Canadians abroad.

“In the past few weeks we’ve had MPs from every party confirming their belief that a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian,” concluded Dewar. “It’s time to live up to that statement and end the discrimination that has marred so many consular cases in the past.”

Petition to the House of Commons » [5]