There are currently 100 investigations being conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police into possible extradition of Nazi war criminals living in Canada, Solicitor-General Robert Kaplan disclosed here.
The Cabinet Minister, addressing a B’nai B’rith Covenant Breakfast said the issue of former Nazis living in Canada is still a priority for the government. But until new avenues are established to deal with suspected war criminals, the federal government will concentrate its efforts on extradition, he said. It is, however, open to new arguments on how to deal with the matter, but for the time being it is not convinced that there are any, Kaplan added.
He was referring to suggestions from certain quarters that present laws, if appropriately amended, would enable Canadian authorities to prosecute suspected war criminals in the courts. Kaplan noted that the Canadian Jewish Congress is preparing legal briefs in that connection which the government “will examine closely.”
He cautioned, however, that “the worst thing that could happen from our point of view would be to charge someone who is acquitted because the legal system isn’t there.”
Kaplan, whose constituency is in Toronto, said the government will continue to pursue war criminals because morally it is the right path to follow. He cited the case of Helmut Rauca, now before the Court of Appeals, which may be the first time the Holocaust has been a factor in a Canadian court trial.
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