Minister, we have learned this morning that Commissioner Zaccardelli, when Mr. Arar was sent to Syria, did ask for the file so that he could study it thoroughly himself and that he came rapidly to the conclusion that Mr. Arar was innocent and should not have been sent to Syria.
He then asked that the wrong information conveyed to the Americans, and that seemed to have contributed to his removal to Syria, be corrected. I think that it is about all that was done. Mr. Arar was kept in prison for close to another year. During a very long period before the release of the report several Canadians were convinced that he probably had links with terrorist groups.
Do you think that what was done to correct that mistake was sufficient in the circumstances? Should we not have asked more forcefully the Americans if they had other reasons to send Mr. Arar to a Syrian jail? If they had other reasons it would have been concerning a Canadian citizen which was under investigation in Canada which should have interested us. Do you consider that it was sufficient to correct the wrong information to repair the harm caused to Mr. Arar?