After meeting with American military lawyers representing Omar Khadr, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion renewed his calls for the Conservative government to demand the Canadian's release and repatriation from Guantanamo Bay.
The son of an alleged al Qaeda financier, Khadr was accused of killing U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Speer with a grenade during a firefight in Afghanistan on July 27, 2002.
Khadr, who turns 21 today, was sent to the U.S. military prison in Cuba following his arrest in Afghanistan at the age of 15. He is the only Western prisoner left at Guantanamo Bay.
Dion, widely criticized for failing to win a seat during this week's Quebec byelections, appears to now be taking on the volatile political issue.
"Canada is alone among Western nations in not having secured the release from Guantanamo of one of its nationals. Prime Minister Harper must finally ensure Mr. Khadr receives the same consular support that any other Canadian -- detainee or not -- would receive," Dion said in a statement released after he met with Khadr's lawyers.
Khadr's U.S. defence counsel, Lt.-Cmdr. William Kuebler, said the Canadian government has never asked for his client's release.
But he said Dion's comments indicate there is a growing movement to ensure Khadr's legal rights are protected.
"I'm hopeful, based on what we've seen recently from the Canadian Bar Association, which came out and called upon the prime minister to command Omar's repatriation last month, and the very courageous decision by Mr. Stephane Dion and his colleagues today, to call on the government to see that Omar is released from Guantanamo," he told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
"I think we're starting to turn a corner in Canada, similar to what happened in Australia and the U.K., when those countries finally got fed up by the treatment of their citizens by this process."
On Wednesday, while speaking at news conference, Dion continued to push for Khadr's rights as a Canadian citizen.
"Canadian consular officials must have appropriate access to him to povide consular services that the Canadian government would provide any other citizens," he said.
Dion called on the Conservative government to take action on Khadr's behalf.
"It is time for Canada to intervene, as so many other countries have done, to ensure that the charges against its citizen are dealt with, that he is tried in a legitimate court and that he receives due process," said Dion.
If the U.S. is unwilling to guarantee that Khadr will be fairly tried in a court of law, Canada should demand his repatriation, Dion said, echoing an earlier statement he made in August.
"We won't know if we don't ask. We hope they'll say yes," Dion said at the news conference. "If the U.S. is not prepared to meet our requirements by transferring Mr. Khadr to American territory and trying him in legit court we will call for Mr. Khadr's repatriation to Canada where it can be dealt with by our justice system."
He said Australia, the United Kingdom and France have all had their citizens repatriated after filing such requests.
Maxime Bernier, the newly-appointed federal affairs minister, was travelling and unavailable for comment on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the office, Neil Hrab, said it was too early to debate where the trial should take place.
"Any questions regarding whether Canada plans to ask for the release of Omar Khadr from Guantanamo are premature and speculative as the legal process and appeals process are still ongoing," Hrab said.
In 2004, a military panel classified Khadr as an "enemy combatant." However, since he wasn't classified as an "unlawful" enemy combatant -- required under rules written by Congress -- a military judge threw the case out last June.
Since then, Khadr's case has been the focus of ongoing legal wrangling while he has remained in prison.
Khadr's Canadian lawyers say they have been snubbed by their American counterparts, having been left out of the meeting.
Some members of Khadr's family were also planning on going to the hotel but there was no word on whether they attended the meeting.
Senate votes against giving detainees more rights
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday against legislation to give Guantanamo's detainees the right of habeas corpus.
Such a right would have allowed prisoners to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in a civilian court.
The legislation needed 60 votes to move forward in the Democrat-controlled Senate, but received 56.
The same issue is expected to be heard in front of the U.S. Supreme Court later this year, from lawyers representing Guantanamo detainees.
Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican who co-sponsored the bill, said he believes the court will rule the ban unconstitutional.
Habeas corpus "is a constitutional right that has existed since the Magna Carta in 1215," he told The Associated Press
