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 Editorials | Issues | February 2008 
Liberals Accuse Feds of Abandoning Canadian in Mexican Prison
 Canwest News Service
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| | Brenda Martin on her birthday Jan. 7, 2006, about a month before she was arrested by Mexican police. | | |
Ottawa - The Liberals have accused the Harper government of abandoning a Canadian woman jailed in Mexico without trial for two years.
In a heated question period exchange Tuesday, Liberal MP Dan McTeague blasted the "ineptitude" of efforts by Secretary of State Helena Guergis on behalf of a 51-year-old Brenda Martin of Trenton, Ont.
"Why is the minister unable to provide Brenda Martin with any concrete information on her supposedly high level efforts to gain her freedom? Why is the minister refusing to take Brenda's phone calls?" asked the MP for Pickering-Scarborough-East.
McTeague also needled Guergis for passing up a chance to visit Martin in prison during her trip to Mexico early this month in order to dine on "consulate canapes and Perrier."
Guergis angrily fired back, saying she has "worked very hard" on the behalf of Martin and 12 other Canadians jailed in Mexico.
"Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians are really growing tired of this member's ambulance chasing tactics," she said. "With respect to Ms. Martin, we have worked very hard and we will continue because she is a very important Canadian to us."
Martin has been imprisoned in Guadalajara since Feb. 17, 2006. Mexican authorities charged her with money laundering and being part of a criminal conspiracy five years after the arrest of her former employer, Edmontonian Alyn Waage, in a $60-million Internet-based fraud. Martin worked as a chef for Waage in Puerto Vallarta for 10 months.
Martin has strongly professed her innocence and Waage has sworn an affidavit saying she had no knowledge of the scheme.
In a recent telephone interview from prison, Martin said Guergis has refused to talk to her over the phone.
"She is a coward," Martin said angrily. |
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