Henry Garfield Pardy
Encyclopedia
Henry Garfield "Gar" Pardy is former diplomat in the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. Although he retired as director general of the consular affairs bureau in 2003, but has maintained a strong presence in the department.
When Foreign Affairs began making press statements on the Omar Khadr
case through Pardy in 2002, legal adviser Colleen Swords sent him an eMail telling him to "claw back on the fact [Omar] is a minor" in his statements on the case. The same year, he was considered instrumental in seeking consular services for Maher Arar
as he was detained in a Syrian prison. He was called to testify before the Royal Commission
investigating the matter on October 24 2005
After that, Pardy became notable for his "sharp" rebukes to Canadians held by foreign governments pleading for Canadian assistance.
Pardy recently organized a letter from more than 100 former ambassadors criticizing the Harper government for attacking the credibility of diplomat Richard Colvin, who says he warned the government in 2006 about torture.
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) on April 8, 2010, Pardy was interviewed regarding the case of Nazia Quazi, a dual Indian and Canadian citizen who, after visiting her father in Saudi Arabia, was unable to return to Canada, since her father was able to assume “guardianship” over her and block her exit from the country, in accordance with Islamic law and tradition. Pardy suggested that Canadian policy toward Israel was to blame for Ms. Quazi's situation. Pardy argued that "the fact that we [Canada] have taken ourselves out as a balanced observer [regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] ... is not looked at with any degree of friendliness in Saudi Arabia.” When the host directly asked him "Are you suggesting that Canada’s Israel policy could leave young Canadian women in limbo?", Mr. Pardy replied "Yes."
Pardy was subsequently criticized for his comments by Jonathan Kay in the National Post
who wrote rhetorically that "when a repressive Arab Muslim theocracy seizes a Canadian citizen under cover of blatantly misogynistic Wahabi Islamic rules governing women, the real villain can be traced back to … Israel."
From 1989 to 1992, Pardy was the Canadian Ambassador to Costa Rica
, Honduras
, Nicaragua
, Panama
, and El Salvador
.
When Foreign Affairs began making press statements on the Omar Khadr
Omar Khadr
Omar Ahmed Khadr is a Canadian child soldier and one of the juveniles held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He was convicted of five charges under the United States Military Commissions Act of 2009 including murder in violation of the law of war and providing material support for terrorism,...
case through Pardy in 2002, legal adviser Colleen Swords sent him an eMail telling him to "claw back on the fact [Omar] is a minor" in his statements on the case. The same year, he was considered instrumental in seeking consular services for Maher Arar
Maher Arar
Maher Arar is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who resides in Canada. Arar's story is frequently referred to as "extraordinary rendition" but the U.S. government insisted it was a case of deportation.Arar was detained during a layover at John F...
as he was detained in a Syrian prison. He was called to testify before the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
investigating the matter on October 24 2005
After that, Pardy became notable for his "sharp" rebukes to Canadians held by foreign governments pleading for Canadian assistance.
Pardy recently organized a letter from more than 100 former ambassadors criticizing the Harper government for attacking the credibility of diplomat Richard Colvin, who says he warned the government in 2006 about torture.
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) on April 8, 2010, Pardy was interviewed regarding the case of Nazia Quazi, a dual Indian and Canadian citizen who, after visiting her father in Saudi Arabia, was unable to return to Canada, since her father was able to assume “guardianship” over her and block her exit from the country, in accordance with Islamic law and tradition. Pardy suggested that Canadian policy toward Israel was to blame for Ms. Quazi's situation. Pardy argued that "the fact that we [Canada] have taken ourselves out as a balanced observer [regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] ... is not looked at with any degree of friendliness in Saudi Arabia.” When the host directly asked him "Are you suggesting that Canada’s Israel policy could leave young Canadian women in limbo?", Mr. Pardy replied "Yes."
Pardy was subsequently criticized for his comments by Jonathan Kay in the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
who wrote rhetorically that "when a repressive Arab Muslim theocracy seizes a Canadian citizen under cover of blatantly misogynistic Wahabi Islamic rules governing women, the real villain can be traced back to … Israel."
From 1989 to 1992, Pardy was the Canadian Ambassador to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
.