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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Conservatives blundered Tamils' arrival: Ignatieff

By: Aldo Santin

Posted: 08/15/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Flanked by Terry Duguid (centre) and Kevin Lamoureux (right), Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff speaks at a local barbecue Saturday. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

The Harper government has mishandled the Tamil refugee situation, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said during his political event in Winnipeg Saturday afternoon.

Ignatieff said the Conservative government made an issue of the 500 Tamil refugees only as their small, rusty boat was about to enter Canadian waters.

"This boat was in the water for 90 days and... what was the government doing?" Ignatieff said.

The cargo vessel MV Sun Sea docked near Victoria, B.C., Friday, after spending more than three months at sea. The Tamil refugees are requesting asylum, claiming they were persecuted in their native Sri Lanka. Government officials are concerned some of the refugees might be members of the Tamil Tigers, a group the Canadian government considers a terrorist organization.

Ignatieff spoke about the Tamil refugees following his appearance Saturday at a Liberal picnic at the Norwood Community Centre.

Ignatieff spent an hour at the picnic, an event that was marred by cool temperatures, brisk winds and a spitting rain.

Despite the unpleasant weather, Ignatieff easily worked the crowd of about 200 supporters, greeting party faithful, posing for photographs, signing autographs and even serving a few burgers before getting back on the Liberal bus.

"We've had great meetings the last few days, wonderful crowds," Ignatieff said of his two-day whirlwind tour of Winnipeg that began Friday.

Joining Ignatieff at the picnic were his wife, Zsuzsanna Zsohar, MP Anita Neville and Liberal candidates Terry Duguid, Raymond Simard and Kevin Lamoureux.

Ignatieff said the Harper government should have prepared for the arrival of the refugees while they were still at sea by consulting the United Nations agency for refugees and the Sri Lankan government.

"Now we've got a situation where they've docked and they have to have individual confirmation of each one of them," he said, adding the identification of the refugees has to be independently verified in addition to any information the Sri Lankan government might provide.

Ignatieff dismissed calls that Canada should have followed Australia's policy on refugees and turned the Tamil refugee boat away.

"This is Canada, not Australia," Ignatieff said.

"That means Canada has principles, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, our international obligations."

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 15, 2010 A11

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