RCMP interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in Syria: sources
RCMP interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in Syria: sources
CTV News has learned RCMP officers are currently in northeast Syria, attempting to interview Canadians held in the Al-Roj detention camp ahead of their repatriation to Canada.
The three Mounties have so far sought interviews with only Canadian women.
In January, Global Affairs Canada agreed to repatriate seven Canadian women and 19 children but did not disclose their timeline. Most of them have been detained in camps described as open air prisons for nearly four years. The region has been controlled by Kurdish forces after they toppled ISIS militants in March 2019.
According to sources, RCMP are warning the women that they could face terrorism-related charges upon their return to Canada. Their interviews would be videotaped and used in future court cases.
One B.C. woman who was repatriated last year is monitored through a terrorism bond, while a Montreal woman who was brought back at the same time is out on bail, after being charged with terrorism offences.
Pre-dawn phone call from Syria
Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon received a call around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday from one of the women detained at Al-Roj camp. Greenspon says his client had concerns that she and her children would be blocked from returning to Canada if she didn’t participate in an interview. Greenspon advised her not to speak to investigators.
"As my ex-mother-in-law would say—no good can come of this. That would be consistent with answering any questions from the RCMP in these circumstances."
Greenspon says according to the repatriation agreement struck with Global Affairs, both the women and children are to be brought home "regardless if they speak to the RCMP or not."
Alexandra Bain with the organization Families Against Violent Extremism (FAVE) says three other women also declined to speak with the RCMP Wednesday.
"They told the RCMP they were delighted to see Canadians and that they were very kind but would only speak to them when they returned home to Canada with their lawyers present," said Bain.
Bain has been advocating for the release of Canadian detainees for several years. She has connected the men and women with lawyers and community organizations willing to help the detainees re-integrate into society upon their release.
This week, calls by human rights advocates to repatriate all its citizens were bolstered by an open-letter from the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, signed by more than 100 legal experts including former Justice Minister and Attorney General Allan Rock.
Will foreign mothers of Canadian children be repatriated?
RCMP declined to answer a CTV News inquiry about the status of four foreign-born mothers of Canadian children who are also detained at Al-Roj camp.
The women’s husbands are Canadians who are missing or who may have died during the Syrian civil war. Global Affairs has agreed to bring back their children, but only if the mothers agree to relinquish their guardianship. CTV News has reported on two cases involving women with children who suffer from severe medical issues.
"It’s a Solomonic choice," said Bain, who is spearheading an effort to get the foreign mothers temporary resident permits so they can get on a plane with their kids to Canada. She says Global Affairs has put these women and their children in a "terribly cruel position."
"These moms have been with their kids their whole lives. Their mothers have managed to keep them alive in an apocalyptic, horrific camp."
No Charter 'right of return'
On Monday the Trudeau government’s appeal of a court ruling ordering the repatriation of four Canadian men in prisons in northeast Syria was heard at the Federal Court of Appeal.
Lawyers representing the government argued the Charter doesn’t guarantee a "right of return."
"The right to enter Canada is meaningless unless it has with it a right of return," said Greenspon who made arguments before a panel of three appellate judges.
He says that the Government of Canada has been asked by the Kurdish authority—the Automonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AAMES)—to bring nationals home.
"We say the government has a duty to act," said Greenspon.
The government suspects the men of having ties to the Islamic State, but did not present any evidence in court.
In his initial ruling in January, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown previously said "there’s no evidence identifying why any of the applicants went to Syria and Iraq and there’s no evidence before this court of what they may have done there."
Bain watched the appeal over Zoom. She says federal lawyers took up a large portion of time during the appeal to argue that traveling to the region was too dangerous.
"The government said they weren’t able to get Canadians in—yet two days later the RCMP is on the ground," Bain points out.
A New Democrat MP is trying to convince his colleagues to change the rules that govern the House of Commons in a series of ways he says would instill 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's 'unfettered' powers.
Monday morning, the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced it had reached a 'tentative' agreement with the federal government for the 120,000 picketing Treasury Board workers who, since April 19, had been engaged in one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Here's a rundown of the developments from Parliament Hill as they happened.
The House committee studying foreign election interference heard from top 2019 and 2021 Liberal and Conservative campaign directors on Tuesday, with party officials from both camps speaking about the need for politicians to come together to address any "legislative gaps" ahead of the next vote.
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
Special rapporteur David Johnston didn't recommend public inquiry knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
To frame a few new illustrations on pages tucked inside a passport as proof of a Liberal plot to purge the Canadian historical record seems like a severe stretch, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is a bright former federal prosecutor, who was destined to be a star in Justin Trudeau's cabinet. But in an opinion column on CTVNews.ca, Don Martin argues Mendicino has taken a stunning fall from grace, stumbling badly on important issues just 18 months into the job.
It's the most peculiar of elections with the frontrunner and her main opponent being the same person, writes columnist Don Martin. 'In the looming Alberta showdown, it's Premier Danielle Smith versus her mouth.'
Two billion carbon-absorbing trees to be planted by 2030 was the eye-catching Trudeau government promise from four years ago. But according to a new environment commissioner’s report, a mind-reeling list of failures makes it 'unlikely that the program will meet its objectives.'
Three national health organizations want Canada's premiers to push for initiatives to reduce smoking during settlement negotiations with major tobacco companies, years after provinces sued to recoup health-care costs.
The discussions, which some companies call 'stay interviews,' are designed to collect feedback from employees and are aimed at learning what the company can do to retain valued team members and keep them happy.
Nova Scotia is embarking on what many are calling its fourth gold rush — but instead of panhandling for chunks of gold, mining operations in the province today consist of massive tailings ponds, enormous open pits extracting small traces of gold and a climate toll that one expert says we’re not properly tracking.
Albertans head to the polls on provincial election day, an engaged Ontario couple is shot dead while fleeing their landlord, and Turkiye's Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins a fifth term as president.
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.
Farmers in Atlantic Canada are growing increasingly worried about drought, as many regions on the east coast have been classified as drier than usual for this time of year, with little rain in the forecast.
With advance voting open in Alberta and election day looming on May 29, CTV News Edmonton has compiled a list of ridings to watch in the capital region.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that if any other country wanted to join a Russia-Belarus union there could be 'nuclear weapons for everyone.'
Bola Tinubu became Nigeria's president on Monday during a period of unprecedented challenges for Africa's most populous country, leaving some citizens hopeful for a better life and others skeptical that his government would perform better than the one he succeeded.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a mandate to rule until 2028, securing five more years as leader of a country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia that plays a key role in NATO. He must now confront skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis and rebuild in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.
Uganda's president has signed into law tough new anti-gay legislation supported by many in this East African country but widely condemned by rights activists and others abroad.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday he will sign a bill that creates a powerful commission, ostensibly meant to investigate Russian influence in Poland but which critics view as a tool to remove from political life the political opponents of the ruling party, mostly notably opposition leader Donald Tusk.
One of the so-called godfathers of artificial intelligence says governments need to move faster on regulations to protect against the dangers of the rapidly advancing technology, before it poses a larger threat to humanity.
With just four weeks left until the House of Commons breaks for the summer, the weekly panel of political strategists on CTV's Question Period says it's likely time for the prime minister to shuffle his cabinet.
Three national health organizations want Canada's premiers to push for initiatives to reduce smoking during settlement negotiations with major tobacco companies, years after provinces sued to recoup health-care costs.
Three national health organizations want Canada's premiers to push for initiatives to reduce smoking during settlement negotiations with major tobacco companies, years after provinces sued to recoup health-care costs.
North Korea on Monday notified neighbouring Japan that it plans to launch a satellite in coming days, which may be an attempt to put Pyongyang's first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit.
China plans to land astronauts on the moon before 2030, in what would be another advance in what's increasingly seen as a new space race pitting the Asian autocracy against the United States and its democratic allies.
It is a world wrapped in mystery - the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus, seen up close just once nearly four decades ago by a passing NASA probe and still warily guarding its secrets.
George Maharis, a stage-trained actor with rough-hewn good looks who became an icon to American youth in the 1960s as he cruised the country in a Corvette convertible in the hit television series 'Route 66,' has died.
Several Jewish groups, politicians and an alliance of civil society groups gathered for a memorial ceremony and a protest rally against a concert by Roger Waters in Frankfurt on Sunday evening.
The reviews are starting to come in as details emerge about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Asian shares are mostly higher after President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a final agreement on a deal to raise the U.S. national debt ceiling, though the measure requires approval by Congress.
A new report is casting doubt on the idea that Canada is facing a widespread labour shortage and bolsters the arguments by some labour economists that high job vacancies aren't due to a shortage of workers.
Animated movies are often a child’s first exposure to media and film. And the representation of people of color in media influences how they feel about race as they mature, a study by the non-profit Common Sense has found.
From actions in their local communities to mass demonstrations, here's how Canadians from all walks of life are inspiring others to take part in helping the environment.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, two men expected to go far at the French Open, make their 2023 Roland Garros debuts on Monday against a pair of opponents who never have played a Grand Slam match.
Formula One champion Max Verstappen's lights-to-flag victory at the Monaco Grand gave the Red Bull driver his fourth victory of the season and a record 39th overall for the team as he extended his championship lead to 39 points over teammate Sergio Perez on Sunday.
A Tennessee company is refusing demands from U.S. regulators to recall millions of vehicles due to airbag inflators that can explode and shoot shrapnel into drivers. While cases are rare, there has been at least one death in Canada, where officials lack the authority to demand a similarly sweeping recall.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous endurance race, will be open to hydrogen-powered cars starting in 2026, Pierre Fillon, the president of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, said Saturday.
