QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs
Request for Extradition of Hassan Diab
April 27, 2023
My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Leader, on the evening of Friday, October 3, 1980, at the Union Libéral Israélite de France synagogue, also known as the Rue Copernic synagogue, in the 16th arrondissement in Paris, a large number of worshippers were celebrating Shabbat and the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
At 6:38 p.m., a bomb exploded. The synagogue’s glass roof collapsed on the worshippers, a door was blown through, and cars were thrown onto the roads. The blast damaged storefronts up to 140 metres away and left four people dead and 45 injured. It was the first attack against the Jewish community in France since the Second World War.
Senator Gold, as I’m sure you know, this was a heinous crime, a massacre fuelled by anti-Semitism and a desire to strike at the heart of the Jewish community in France.
On April 21, 2023, the Special Assize Court of Paris sentenced a Canadian, Hassan Diab, to the maximum punishment and issued a warrant for his arrest. This conviction came after three weeks of debates, eight hours of deliberations and over 43 years of painstaking investigations.
Hassan Diab is enjoying life as a free man here in Canada, in Ottawa, and continues to teach as a lecturer at universities here in Ottawa. Senator Gold, will the federal government agree to France’s request to extradite Hassan Diab?
Can the families, the victims of the anti-Semitic attack in Rue Copernic, count on your government, or will it be more inclined to protect the criminal, as usual, than to face the victims and offer them comfort?
Thank you for the question. Despite all the time that has passed, it is always appropriate to pay tribute to the victims of this tragic and horrific attack, which hits close to home for me. I hope that everyone in this chamber and in Canada feels moved by what happened.
The Government of Canada received the request for extradition. It is being examined, and the decision will be communicated to the public as soon as it has been made.
I’m sure you understand, Senator Gold, that the victims have been waiting for over 43 years. How long does the government intend to take before responding to the request for extradition from a friendly nation with a justice system befitting the major democratic countries?
I don’t know when the decision will be made. The Government of Canada and its ally, France, both have systems that, despite their differences, are democratic, open and transparent. As soon as the decision is ready for publication, I will share it here in this chamber.
