VZCZCXRO3624
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0020/01 0091902
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 091902Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8970
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
S/CT FOR K. O'REILLY AND E. RYE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2028 
TAGS: PTER PREL PINR PGOV CA
SUBJECT: CANADA SEEKS U.S. ASSISTANCE WITH HOSTAGE POLICY 
REVIEW 
 
REF: OTTAWA-S/CT EMAILS 1/7/09 
 
Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request -- see para three. 
 
¶2. (S) Summary: Canada is for the first time planning on 
Cabinet endorsement by April of a formal national policy to 
respond to the kidnapping of its citizens by terrorists or 
criminals.  A spate of five cases of kidnapped Canadians 
since June 2008 prompted political leaders to order this 
national strategy.  Canada seeks to coordinate its policy as 
closely as possible with that of the U.S., and requests a 
comprehensive briefing on U.S. policy in hostage situations 
in Washington on January 29.  End summary. 
 
¶3. (S) Action Request: in response to USG assistance offers 
(ref emails), the Department of Foreign Affairs and 
International Trade (DFAIT) has requested U.S. help in 
drafting Canada's hostage policy and seeks meetings with 
Washington agencies more fully to understand NSPD-12.  DFAIT 
senior policy advisor on counter-terrorism Neal Brennan, who 
is leading the Canadian inter-agency planning process, said 
his team wants to benefit from U.S. views early in the 
drafting process, and has requested to visit Washington on 
January 29 for discussions with U.S. counterparts.  DFAIT 
also requests a releasable version of NSPD-12 to assist its 
policy formulation.  Please advise.  End action request. 
 
¶4. (S) DFAIT is leading an inter-agency team to draft the 
hostage policy for approval by Cabinet by April, at the 
latest.  According to DFAIT's Brennan, the spate of hostage 
and kidnapping incidents involving Canadian nationals since 
June 2008 motivated the Prime Minister's Office to order the 
drafting of a comprehensive national strategy.  Brennan said 
that these five Canadian hostage cases had forced Canada to 
develop responses "on the fly" and that the inter-agency 
community constantly found itself revisiting important policy 
issues mid-crisis.  Canadian political leaders now want to 
institutionalize a substantive policy framework in order 
better to manage future hostages situations safely and 
successfully, Brennan commented. 
 
¶5. (S) Specifically, Brennan noted that DFAIT wants Canadian 
elected leaders to give a "high-level political blessing, 
especially with regard to policy on ransom payments." 
Brennan's task is to create a policy paper that enunciates 
broad principles for dealing with hostage-takers, the media, 
the families of victims, and interested third parties (i.e. 
insurance companies and employers).  This policy document 
will also delineate the whole-of-government decision-making 
process and clarify governmental roles and responsibilities 
during a hostage crisis.  Brennan added that his group will 
likely later draft standard operating procedures to put the 
general policy guidance and principles into practice. 
 
¶6. (S) Another area where Canada wants more thought and 
planning is on coordination among the "Four Eyes" partners. 
Brennan commented that mixed nationality hostage cases are 
seemingly becoming the norm, because, "where there is a 
Canadian, more often than not you'll find Americans, Brits, 
and Aussies, too."  Toward that end, Brennan is seeking a 
better understanding of NSPD-12 and has requested that the 
U.S. provide Canada with a releasable version of the U.S. 
policy document.  Brennan said that his terms of reference 
Qpolicy document.  Brennan said that his terms of reference 
specifically order him to align Canadian policy as closely as 
possible with that of the U.S., even though Canada realizes 
it may have conflicting priorities in mixed U.S.-Canada 
hostage situations, given the much broader U.S. global 
strategic role.  Senior Canadian officials nonetheless want 
to see as little divergence as possible, according to Brennan. 
 
¶7. (S) Regarding specific policy issues to discuss with U.S. 
counterparts, Brennan cited the possibility of secretly 
negotiating with hostage-takers as a means of entrapping 
them, while publicly claiming "no negotiations with 
terrorists."  Brennan added that Canadian interlocutors are 
also eager to learn whether NSPD-12 is integrated with 
broader personnel safety and recovery policy goals, which are 
also part of his terms of reference.  Another thorny issue 
for Canada is policy toward third parties, in particular 
insurance companies that may have written policies for 
kidnapped Canadian nationals.  Yet another issue arose with 
the recent kidnapping of a journalist from the Canadian 
 
OTTAWA 00000020  002 OF 002 
 
 
Broadcasting Corporation, which is state-owned yet 
independent from the government.  Brennan said that Canada 
was still contemplating how to deal with such entities and 
their employees who wander into harm's way.  A final issue is 
the treatment of Canadian government employees compared with 
that of government contractors in hostage situations; Canada 
would appreciate hearing U.S. views in this area as well. 
 
¶8. (S) Brennan would plan to lead the delegation to 
Washington and would likely bring along the following 
representatives: 
 
-- Department of National Defence (Nicholas Chapdelaine); 
-- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (one policy officer and one 
operations officer); 
-- Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (John Gilmour); 
-- Department of Public Safety (Emmanuel Deault-Bonin); 
-- Canadian Embassy representative. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
WILKINS