I have two points to make.
My first point is this. The secret services in these countries are not filled with a bunch of crazy people who jump on the first person they see and torture him just for the fun of it. At the same time, we are dealing here with what I call a “terrorist fabrication”. In 1999—in other words, long before 2003—I was free; I didn't wear a bracelet and I could go wherever I wanted in Montreal. If you had tried to Google me then, you wouldn't have found anything. If you do it today, however, you will see what's there. I've gone from being a perfect unknown to a big fish. Everyone is talking about Charkaoui. In my country of origin, people follow the press and the media. Relying on allegations, they come up with the picture of the emblematic terrorist. When people meet me, they are hesitant and wonder whether the allegations are true. It is that doubt that bothers me most.
My second point is this: one of the things I most enjoyed reading over the last year was the O'Connor report on the Maher Arar affair. What I don't understand is why the Canadian government, after spending that kind of money on a commission of inquiry, is not acting on Justice O'Connor's recommendations. That's incredible; I don't understand. Maher Arar was tortured in Syria by his jailers, and they themselves told him they knew he was innocent, but that they had been asked to verify whether that was true or not. He was forced to confess to certain things. In fact, he testified against Mr. Harkat, which is quite incredible. He was forced to confess things that were untrue. He was forced to sign reports. In those countries, intelligence is a lucrative business. People sell information and CSIS buys it. There is quite a market for it.
Personally, I am not afraid to go to Morocco. I was told I would be tortured. But I have done nothing wrong. I am very close to Canadian Conservatives, who have always supported me. But if I were tortured, I might say that I had been funded by the Conservative Party, for example. I could say anything under torture.