Department of Justice

GOVERNMENT RECORD ON WAR CRIMES

OTTAWA, February 3, 1997 -- Following the airing last night of the feature on war criminals on the CBS program "60 Minutes", Allan Rock, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada reaffirmed the government's strategy to pursue to the full effect of the law, any war criminals living in Canada.

The government of Canada decided in 1995 to initiate denaturalization and deportation proceedings against alleged war criminals living in Canada. Minister Rock indicated at the time that the government had a legal and moral commitment to Canadians and the international community to ensure that WWII war crimes and crimes against humanity were addressed.

In cooperation with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, legal procedures were initiated to revoke the citizenship and to deport alleged war criminals. Since then Canada has taken action against people who lied about their Nazi activities to get into Canada, regardless of how much time had elapsed. Between 1995 and 1996 ten cases were initiated and are before courts and tribunals.

"We are well on track with this new approach to dealing with war criminals," explained Mr. Rock. "By April of this year we will have begun 12 revocation of citizenship or deportation cases. We are determined to deny safe haven in Canada to w ar criminals."

"We have also been extremely active in dealing with modern war criminals, having intervened in hundreds of immigration cases in order to deny present-day war criminals refugee status in Canada," added Minister Rock.

The Department of Justice is also reviewing the current war crimes legislation with a view to ensuring that criminal prosecution remains an option for dealing with war crimes.

In 1987 Canada embarked on a criminal prosecution route to pursue war criminals and the Criminal Code was amended to make this possible. Four prosecutions began but no convictions were obtained and following the Supreme Court of Canada decision on Finta, it became apparent that successful prosecutions were impossible. Therefore, the federal government changed its strategy to revocation of citizenship or deportation.

Ref.:    Jennifer Lang
         Minister's Office
         (613) 992-4621

Talking Points

War Criminals in Canada

Canada has done more than most countries, including France, England, Australia and New Zealand to attempt to bring war criminals to justice.

This government has a record of solid achievement in taking action to bring suspected war criminals before the courts.

This government said it would begin 12 revocation of citizenship or deportation cases by April 1997. We have proceeded with l0 cases and are working on two more.

Canada has taken action against people who lied about their Nazi activities to get into Canada. As promised, we have proceeded on 10 cases, with two more to be initiated before April.

In the past, Canada chose the harder criminal prosecution route, but experience showed that this was not successful. With the Supreme Court decision in the Finta case, it became apparent that there would be no successful prosecutions. No English-speaking jurisdiction has successfully prosecuted a WW II war criminal after Nurenburg. Canada attempted more than anyone.

Canada is not a safe haven for Nazi war criminals. If we have any war criminals among us, it is too many.