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Canada Government faces allegations of racism in search of diplomat

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

OTTAWA - New allegations of racial profiling and international headlines about the body search of a senior diplomat who arrived last week in Canada kept the Conservative government under fire Tuesday, as opposition parties continued to demand a public apology.

A major African human rights group also accused Canadian officials of racially profiling Diouf, who carries a diplomatic passport, the Montreal newspaper la Presse reported.

No cabinet minister was on hand to greet Abdou Diouf, the secretary general of la Francophonie and former Senegal president, when he arrived at the airport in Toronto and was forced to submit to the search. International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner greeted him later with a phone call, waiting several days before meeting him in person at a weekend Francophonie conference in Winnipeg.

''The government is making headlines everywhere in the francophone world for its unacceptable behaviour towards the secretary general of la Francophonie,'' said Bloc Quebecois MP Vivian Barbot, noting that the news has made its way into the pages of major French publications such as le Figaro and le Monde.

In the Commons, Verner would only say that Diouf was satisfied with his welcome from federal and provincial officials in Manitoba for the conference on conflict prevention and human security.

''The minister tells us he was well received in Manitoba, but this incident happened in Toronto,'' said Liberal MP Bernard Patry. ''So for us she must apologize. It's as simple as that.''

Patry added that he didn't consider it to be a case of racial profiling.

''I think it's much more a question of incompetence,'' he said, noting that Diouf had the highest level of security clearance. ''There was incompetence at the Toronto airport, (and) incompetence on the part of the minister who should have been present there.''

Senegal's foreign affairs minister has also asked the Canadian prime minister to issue a formal apology to Diouf. Stephen Harper has ordered a review of the incident to ensure it doesn't happen again, but he and other members of the government have refused to apologize.

Canada is one of the 53 member governments in la Francophonie, an organization of French-speaking nations.

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Senegal demands apology from Canada for Francophonie head's treatment

Senegal's foreign minister on Saturday demanded apologies from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the treatment of the Senegalese head of the International Francophone Organization at Toronto's airport.

During the opening session of the Francophonie's conference on preventing conflict, Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio demanded "sincere and public apologies" from Harper.

Abdou Diouf, secretary-general of Francophonie and former Senegalese president, was reportedly body-searched earlier this week upon his arrival at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

According to a text of Gadio's remarks handed by Senegal's delegation, Gadio asked the Canadian government to investigate the incident and offer "an apology rather than merely express regret."

The incident was "extremely serious" for Senegal, Gadio told the press after the session.

"We ask that the former president of Senegal be treated with deference and respect, and he was not treated that way," said Gadio.

Harper's office said Canada's foreign minister and international cooperation minister had already expressed regret after the incident.