What is missing from the media coverage of the drama of the two Michaels are new ideas to resolve the dilemma in which three countries (Canada, the United States and China) have reached a deadlock. There is a sense that the Canadian government is powerless to respond to the gangsterism of the Chinese authorities, and that our almost religious adherence to the idea of the rule of law prevents us from even considering negotiation with the hostage-takers who are imprisoning our citizens.
Our hesitation, at present, seems to constrain our American friends in the same way. Still suffering from the trauma of Jan. 6 caused by the direct insult to the rule of law by the rioters on Capitol Hill, they feel equally handicapped in their freedom to act. This leads us to wonder what is left of the unbreakable bonds between democratic countries.
There is no shortage of published legal opinions on the inherent flexibility in our extradition treaty, nor of strong statements by both governments about how highly they are prioritizing the release of the two Canadians.
We assume that Washington and Ottawa have carefully considered all possible options. Unfortunately, nowhere do I find the suggestion that the two governments are giving firm instructions to their respective judicial authorities (the Canadian minister of justice and the U.S. attorney general) to work together until they find a legally sound way out of this impasse.
Is it simply that neither side of the border is gutsy enough?
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