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 Editorials | Opinions | February 2008 
Canadian in Mexican Jail Ignored by Government
 Katy Austin - The Enterprise Bulletin
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Who really cares about Brenda Martin?
Brenda Martin has been held without a trial in a Mexican prison for over two years for a crime she insists she did not commit.
Does Helena Guergis, Secretary of State, really care about the fate of Canadian Brenda Martin, or is Ms. Guergis mainly interested in covering up her government's lack of real effort to help Ms. Martin. Many would say that Guergis' recent trip to Mexico came about only as a result of a recent W5 expose and criticism in the House of Commons.
Ms. Guergis claims that Canadian consular officials based in Mexico have been in contact with Ms. Martin over 75 times either in person or by telephone.
In a phone interview with CTV's W5 hostess Paula Todd, Brenda Martin was shocked at Guergis' claim about help from Canadian consular officials in Mexico. "I just can't believe that Helena Guergis has the gall to say what she's said," stated Martin. Guergis repeatedly declined W5's request for an interview on the matter.
Martin's Toronto lawyer, Guillermo Cruz Rico, said that a review of the legal file showed that consulate officials were notified of Martin's incarceration on Feb. 18, 2006, but it was not until Dec. 14, 2007, that a representative made official inquiries to the Mexican court about her legal status.
Deb Tieleman, Martin's best friend, and Cruz Rico met with Helena Guergis in Ottawa early this month to discuss what should be done to help Ms. Martin. Despite Martin's repeated calls to Tielman's cell phone during the meeting Ms. Guergis refused to talk to Martin. Guergis assured them that the federal government had done everything it could for Martin. Tieleman described Guergis' nature during the meeting as "arrogant" and said Guergis left after only half an hour. Documents Cruz Rico had forwarded to the office three weeks prior to the meeting had not been read by Guergis.
Ms. Guergis did not visit with Brenda Martin when she was in Mexico recently. "It would have helped Brenda if she heard from the minister's own mouth what she is doing for her," said Tieleman.
So, whom do we believe? Has the government really done all it should have from the start for Brenda Martin, or is Helena Guergis trying to cover up government ineptitude with claims of good works and warnings not to criticize what we perceive as a poor job? |
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