(CBC) The UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights says Canada is putting the lives of its citizens at risk by not helping to return them from prisons in Syria.
“It is inconceivable for any country, including Canada, to leave its vulnerable children in these camps for a day longer than they should be,” said Fionnuala Ní Aoláin in an interview airing Saturday on CBC’s The House.
The UN special rapporteur also accused the Canadian government of hypocrisy, arguing that its actions on citizens in Syria devalued other efforts on the international stage.
“Canada is the leading state on the children-in-armed-conflict agenda at the UN. But actually those words ring hollow when you’re telling other countries to look after their children in other conflicts and you’re not prepared to look after your own,” she said.
