Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy sits trapped in Cairo limbo awaiting retrial next week on trumped-up charges he spread “false news” supporting Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Meanwhile, his Australian colleague, Peter Greste — who was convicted with Fahmy on the same charges last year — is home in Brisbane after being released Feb. 1 from what he calls the “near death experience” of an Egyptian prison.
Why the difference? The Harper government. So suggests Fahmy’s himself.
Australia’s prime minister, Fahmy told the CBC, spoke directly with Egyptian president Abdel el-Sisi on three occasions, pressing for Greste’s release. Harper has refused to confirm whether he’s spoken to el-Sisi even once. “We should have a prime minister calling Sisi over the phone.”
Worse, Fahmy adds, recently resigned Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird played his usual bull-inside-the-diplomatic-china-shop role, insisting publicly during a visit to Cairo last month Fahmy would not face a new trial or further punishment in Canada if released.
But that was exactly the “diplomatic cover” Sisi needed to justify releasing Fahmy. So, instead of following Greste out freedom’s door, Fahmy now faces even more prison time.
It’s not the first time the Harper government — advancing ideological agendas, or simply demonstrating its diplomatic deafness — has left Canadians to the un-tender mercies of foreign governments.
Ottawa only reluctantly repatriated Canadian-born child soldier Omar Khadr — the last Western prisoner at the notorious Guantanamo detention camp — after our Supreme Court ruled this country had a “duty to protect” Khadr, whose Charter rights were violated. The courts also had to force the government to allow Abousfian Abdelrazik — a Sudanese-born Canadian who’d been cleared of allegations he supported Al Qaeda — to return to Canada in 2009. And even though John Baird — as Transport Minster — had championed the innocence of Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian sentenced to life in prison in Ethiopia for belonging to a terrorist organization, he did little as foreign minister to free him.
Why not? Makhtal, notes his cousin, “is a Muslim-Canadian black man sitting in prison. I hate to admit this, but this is the reality.”
So too is the reality Canada has chosen human-rights-violating Ethiopia as a “country of focus” for our international aid. Or that we support repressive Egypt on its “aspirational journey to democracy.”
Last week, Canada changed foreign ministers. Now we need to change foreign policy too. All Canadians, including Mohamed Fahmy, deserve to know their country will support them when they need it most.
STEPHEN KIMBER, a Professor of Journalism at the University of King's College in Halifax and co-founder of its MFA in Creative Nonfiction Program, is an award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster. He is the author of two novels and eight non-fiction books. Buy his books 
Thank you for shedding light on Mr.Harper’s stance in your opinion article in Metro news. I as a Canadian Muslim am increasingly concerned by Mr.Harper’s racist attitude towards Muslims. I feel like a second class citizen.As Canadian Muslims we are good enough for our taxes, votes, investments, skills sets and occassional photoshoots but talk about defending us and being their for us in our times of need and Mr.Harper refuses to speak to us let alone defend us.I am horrified by his double standards and his marginalization of Muslims. This is not the Prime Minister I want representing my country.Canada is a land of multiculturalism and diversity not a land where a subset of people are systematically demonized and not given the rights they are due simply because of their religious beliefs.