Some of us aren't surprised

Did it really take the word of a law professor to make it clear to government officials that the Canadians rendered to Syria were tortured once they got there?

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew called in Syrian ambassador Jamil Sakr today following the release of the fact-finder's report that says the four men tell credible stories of being brutally abused in Damascus prisons.

Pettigrew said he expects Syria to investigate the findings and prosecute the jailers responsible: "These people should be convicted."

The report, prepared by law professor Stephen Toope for the federal inquiry into Arar's case, concludes the Ottawa engineer was repeatedly tortured in Damascus...

Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said she had yet to review the document in detail, but made her concerns clear.

"It is a shocking (report) of what Syrian officials did in the case of Mr. Arar and others."

What should be shocking is that government officials are just now taking action when much of what happened has been publicly known for at least two years. While counsel for the Arar commission points out the value of having the stamp of official fact-finding, it shouldn't have taken that to cause Canada to start seeking answers from Syria. And now, there's little chance of Canada's concerns ranking as a top priority in light of Syria's other diplomatic problems. Meaning that as is so often the case, the Liberals' outraged response is all bluster with no prospect of substance to follow.