Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says he won’t pass judgment on the U.S. crackdown by federal forces in Minnesota that resulted in the deaths of two residents.
But he is quick to defend Canada’s respect for the law when removing people from the country under immigration provisions.
“What I would say is that Canada is not Minnesota,” Anandasangaree said in an interview earlier this week.
“I think my responsibility is not to opine on other countries’ processes but, more importantly, to ensure that our process is in line with Charter values, is in line with the rule of law and is in line with due process.”
Anandasangaree, who is responsible for the Canada Border Services Agency, said Ottawa removed more than 22,000 people last year “in a compassionate and humane manner” while adhering to due process “every step of the way.”
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and Customs and Border Protection have conducted intensive operations in Minnesota this month, sparking large protests and widespread outrage — especially since the shooting deaths of Minneapolis residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Good was shot to death in her car Jan. 7 by an ICE officer, and Pretti was killed at a demonstration on Jan. 24 by Customs and Border Protection officers.
Anandasangaree played down the notion Canadian security agencies might be sharing less intelligence with U.S. counterparts these days because of the widely criticized U.S. tactics.
“It’s certainly true that Canada and the United States are going through a difficult patch in our long history, one that is being addressed by our prime minister,” he said.
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But Anandasangaree was quick to add that co-operation and intelligence-sharing has continued among agencies and officials. He pointed to U.S. participation in the G7 security ministers meeting late last year in Ottawa and the RCMP’s involvement in the U.S.-led case against alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding.
“Our strongest relationship continues with the United States, notwithstanding the number of economic challenges that I think we face, and notwithstanding the overall international dimensions in which Canada finds itself today,” Anandasangaree said.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he raised the events unfolding in Minnesota at the first ministers meeting in Ottawa on Thursday.
He told reporters after the meeting he felt compelled to bring up the subject, given how much he has heard from people in his province, which borders Minnesota.
“Even when we were getting on the plane at the airport, I had some folks come up and just say they had close family living in Minnesota, and they’re very torn up about what’s happening, and they just want to be able to express that feeling and express the hope that we have for our neighbours and, in some cases, our family,” he said.
Kinew declined to reveal what other first ministers said on the topic.
“I did say that for Mr. Pretti, for Ms. Good, you know, I want us as a country to speak out … when we see things that don’t align with our Canadian values. I want us to continue to step up,” he said.
“I think that’s what it means to me when I hear our prime minister talk about principle and pragmatism in terms of our foreign policy.”
Kinew said it’s important to ensure there is food on the table, help with the cost of living, review the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement “and put ourselves in the best possible terms for those engagements.”
“We also have to look clearly into some things that are happening right next to us that are very unjust, and be able to say that we are going to continue being a voice of moral clarity, and that’s important for us as Canadians, so that we can hold our head high no matter what happens in our trade relationships with other countries,” he added.
Kinew said he also made the point during the first ministers meeting that Trump’s aggressive behaviour toward Canada is intended “to put us on the back foot when we’re negotiating.”
“If we are the voice of moral clarity, maybe we can destabilize Trump heading into the negotiations at a moral level. Maybe we can use morals to destabilize our negotiating partner and take the conversation to a level that he can’t keep up on,” Kinew said.
“And I guess the advantage of that approach is maybe that will help us with the trade negotiations, but it’s also the right thing to do.”
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