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new amendment to the A;ilizenship Act will ean that the rule of law rather than political expeâ€" diency will decide whether naturalized Canadians can have â€" their citizenship revoked, says Waterloo MP Andrew Telegdi. Changes to Citizenship Act should apply to Oberlander, Telegdi says And despite suggestions to the contrary, he said the changes should apply to the case of Waterloo citizen Helâ€" mut Oberlander, the retired 78â€"yearâ€"old loca! developer who had his citizenship revoked by a cabinet decision last year because of his involvement with a mobile German extermination unit during the Second World War. "It‘s good news for six milâ€" lion Canadians who are citiâ€" zens by choice," said Telegdi, who resigned as the parliaâ€" mentary secretary to the Immigration Minister in 2000 as a matter of principle over the proposed Citizenship Act. The new Citizenship Act, brought in by Elinor Caplan at that time, excluded natuâ€" ralized Canadian citizens Inquiry postponed while Justice Sills undergoes medical procedure Continued from page 1 ground to them." clear meeting of the minds between you and he? mation I had," Ford said. While Ford pointed out _ as between you and Mr. _ Stephenson asked. "In the fullness of time, _ that others, including Tom _ Stockie, that you were going "Yes, I did, sir," For as it turned out, the inforâ€" â€" Stockie, the city‘s chief â€" to essentially run point on _ replied. mation that I was given was _ administrative officer, Bill â€" this MFP financing file? Is When â€" the inquir wrong, and had I known â€" 1 _ White, the city‘s solicitor, or _ that fair? asked Stephenson. _ resumes, city clerk Fre "In the fullness of time, as it turned out, the inforâ€" mation that I was given was wrong, and had I known â€" 1 guess the question then begs, had I known then what I know now, I can tell you two things. Number one, we wouldn‘t be here. Number two, I probably would not have had any dealings with (former MFP viceâ€"president) Dave Robâ€" son at all. But at the time, looking at it real time, lookâ€" ing at it as things unfolded, I believe that I was giving council the correct advice. "The real difficulty is that not only the information I was receiving from Mr. Robâ€" son was tainted, but also the references et cetera that I had, which everyone felt â€"I felt â€" everyone felt were solid, were also, it appears, had the same tainted backâ€" By BoB VRBANAC Chronicle Staff from the protection of the Charter of Rights and Freeâ€" doms. Telegdi, who came to Canada from Hungary as a child, argued that the changes would make secondâ€" class citizens out of more than six million people who have chosen to make Canada their home. Under the old system, the cabinet acted as the final court of appeal for revocation of citizenship. Telegdi argued that this process is politically tainted and tantamount to a star chamber where the accused had no right to repâ€" resentation. The new proposed Bill Câ€"18 would replace its predeâ€" cessor, which died on the order paper before the last federal election, and allow for the normal judicial process to handle the revocation of citiâ€" zenship. This would guarantee impartiality as well as giving the person the right of appeal all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, as promised under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While Ford pointed out that others, including Tom Stockie, the city‘s chief administrative officer, Bill White, the city‘s solicitor, or any member of city council could have halted the deal, he said it was his responsiâ€" bility for ensuring the corâ€" rect information was put forth to his colleagues. "I just wanted to ensure there was, 1 take it, a very While the addition of the right to appeal to the courts was seen as a great personal victory for Telegdi, who has fought against the original legislation since stepping down as the parliamentary secretary in 2000, he said it was really a win for the grassâ€" roots of the Liberal Party of Resolutions sponsored by the ridings of Nainamoâ€" Alberni in B.C. and Telegdi‘s own riding association of Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo supportâ€" ing a judicial appeal for the revocation of citizenship were brought to the Liberal‘s national policy convention this year and adopted by the new legislation. "At the end of the day it was a victory for the grassâ€" roots of the Liberal party," said Telegdi. "I spent a lot of time informing people about what the implications were, but ultimately it was the grassroots that forced the change." Telegdi said it was a lonely fight at first, but he found support from within his own party, like Cambridge MP Janko Peric, as well as some crossâ€"party support from the "Yes, that‘s a fair comâ€" ment sir," Ford replied. _ "And... you felt the level of Mr. Stockie‘s involvement in the transaction was appropriate, given the responsibility, given that division of responsibility Alliance, Progressive Conserâ€" vative and Bloc Quebecois This couldn‘t come at a more important time with the pressure Canada has felt on immigration and citizenship since the events of 9/11. Telegdi doesn‘t want to see a repeat of some of the darkest moments of Canadian history like the Chinese Head Tax, the Asian Exclusion Act, the interâ€" ment of thousands of Canadiâ€" ans during the two World Wars, and the policy of noneâ€" isâ€"tooâ€"many for the Jews preâ€" vious to the Second World Telegdi said the Oberlanâ€" der case is an example of how political correctness can interfere with due process. While Oberlander maintains that he was just a simple interpreter during the Second World War, the Jewish comâ€" munity argues that he was complicit in the crimes of the S.S. unit he worked for during the war. "It should not be a point of public debate of whether he has done what he has done," said Telegdi. "That should be up to the judicial system. When the inquiry resumes, city clerk Fred Dobbs will be the next witâ€" ness to take the stand. THE DOCTOR‘S OFFICE Monday â€" Friday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. °6 Sunday â€" Closed No appointment required 725â€"1514 CLINIC HOURS "Any Canadian with citiâ€" zenship should have the right to appeal, and the right to due process before the courts, which didn‘t exist previously." 170 University Ave. W. WaterIoo, On N2L 3E9 That‘s why Telegdi thinks the new Citizenship Act should apply to Oberlander. "To say that it doesn‘t apply to Oberlander, well that‘s rubbish," said Telegdi. "It applies to Oberlander because he deserves to have his day in court. "If you‘re going to strip him of his citizenship it should be done by due process, and he should have the right to defend himself." 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