British former MP George Galloway sues Canadian Immigration minister

Mr. Galloway is seeking $1.5 million in damages, claiming that Keeney and Velshi abused their authority when banning Galloway from entering Canada after he applied for a Canadian Visa in March 2009, a move that Mr. Galloway described as “idiotic” at the time. He had been preparing to stage a speaking tour across the country addressing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but was barred from entering following allegations that he had financially supported Palestinian group Hamas, considered a terrorist organisation by Ottawa. Instead, Mr. Galloway addressed his audience by video message.

Mr. Galloway had made a personal donation of £25,000 to the group, which he said was intended to be used for aid purposes; however the Canadian government ruled that this constituted explicit support for a terrorist organisation. On appeal, a judge concluded that there were insufficient grounds to overrule.

Representing Mr. Galloway, lawyer Louis Sokolov said that Keeney’s allegations has caused him “18 months of hell” and alleged that disallowing entry to the country on the basis that he was a threat to national security was a “false pretence”. 

Mr. Galloway has since been allowed entry to Canada in October 2010, with a judge concluding that the original ban had been undertaken for political reasons. Mr. Galloway has claimed that Keeney and the Canadian government “used ‘anti-terrorism’ as a means of suppressing political debate.”

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The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people make their applications for Canadian Immigration.