National News Stories

OTTAWA - The Harper government must immediately establish an independent oversight agency for the Canadian Border Services Agency, Liberal Public Safety and National Security Critic Mark Holland said today.

“The Prime Minister’s refusal to implement years- old recommendations calling for the creation of an oversight agency for CBSA means that we continue to see cases of rights violations, and this is simply unacceptable,” said Mr. Holland. “First it was Maher Arar, Abdullah Almalki and others; then it was Robert Dziekanski, and now Pawel Marach.”

Mr. Holland was responding to reports last week that Polish citizen Pawel Marach was held by CBSA officials at the Vancouver International Airport for six hours, while his waiting aunt and uncle were left to wonder about their nephew’s whereabouts. Rights groups and other critics have noted the stark similarities between this case and the now notorious 2007 case of another Polish citizen, Robert Dzeikanski, who was held by CBSA officers for hours at the Vancouver airport, and then died after an altercation with RCMP officers in which he was tasered.

“The tragic death of Robert Dziekanski remains on the minds of Canadians, and of the Polish community both here and abroad,” remarked Mr. Holland. “Situations like this should not have been permitted to occur, and frankly, may not have occurred if the Harper government had acted on the countless recommendations they’ve received from Inquiries, committees, and others.”

Zofia Cisowski, mother of Robert Dziekanski, upon hearing that Mr. Marach’s uncle got little help from border officials and airport staff in locating their nephew, noted that it appeared there had been few lessons learned by border services operations or the airport. Mr. Marach’s family has registered a complaint with the Polish consulate.

“Canada’s international reputation as a country that respects and protects human rights is under attack because of the Harper government’s determination to circumvent accountability,” said Mr. Holland. “By ignoring much needed recommendations to improve the oversight of government agencies like CBSA, or by muzzling the heads of existing oversight agencies, like Paul Kennedy of the Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP, the Harper government has taken every opportunity since coming to office to undermine accountability and weaken transparency.”