What? When did we cave to Canada? Was I napping? WHY? I just read this in CAIR’s daily e-mail:

CANADIAN MUSLIMS WELCOME CHANGE IN U.S. PROFILING POLICY

U.S. Must Make Good On Assurances And Resolve Arar Case, Says CAIR-Can

(Ottawa, Canada – 10/31/02) – A national Canadian advocacy organization

today commended the Canadian government’s efforts in securing recent

assurances from U.S. authorities that Canadian citizens born in several

Middle East and North African countries will not be fingerprinted and

photographed upon entry into the United States.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham stated today that he had received the

assurances from US Ambassador Paul Cellucci.

In a statement released this afternoon, CAIR-CAN wrote:

“The Canadian government’s vocal protest against discriminatory US

requirements has been admirable and has, it appears, secured a rescinding

of the US law for Canadian citizens.

“Our government must continue to press the US to make good on its promise

and ensure that Canadians are not racially profiled or denied their

fundamental liberties in traveling to or through the US.

“We call on Mr. Graham to insist that the US government resolves the issue

of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was illegally and inhumanely deported

by the US to Jordan in early October.”

The issue of the United States’ discriminatory treatment of Canadian

citizens born in selected Muslim countries came to public attention through

CAIR-CAN’s work on behalf of the Arar family.

CAIR-CAN also praised the diligent efforts of NDP leader Alexa McDonough

and Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark as playing a significant role

in securing the US assurances.