Hon. Arthur C. Eggleton, P.C. M.P.
York Centre

January 31, 1995

Ms. Janice Dembo
Toronto Mayor's Committee on Community and Race Relations
City Clerk's Department
City Hall 100 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5H 2N2

Dear Janice,

Thank you for sending me a copy of your letter dated January 3, 1995, addressed to the Attorney General of Ontario regarding the matter of Ernst Zundel. I understand that my executive assistant, Allan Kaufman, has recently telephoned you about this matter.

I was impressed by the comprehensive manner in which your letter dealt with all the various options which are open to both the Ontario and federal governments with respect to Mr. Zundel. In particular, I was interested to note your point that if Mr. Sergio Marchi grants Canadian citizenship to Mr. Zundel, Canada will lose the right to deport Mr. Zundel even if he is subsequently convicted of a criminal offence in Canada.

I want you to know that on September 9, 1994, I wrote to Minister Sergio Marchi and expressed to him my strong views on the Ernst Zundel citizenship application. I highlighted for Mr. Marchi, among other things, the fact that Mr. Zundel has been convicted of hate crimes in Germany.

Federal legislation requires Mr. Marchi to weigh all the circumstances of this case, prior to rendering a final decision. I am confident that Mr. Marchi will perform his duties in this regard in a proper fashion.

With respect to your suggestion of other steps which could be taken against Mr. Zundel by both the Ontario and federal governments, you may be interested to know that on October 14, 1994, I wrote to Canada's Minister of Justice, the honorable Allen Rock. I urged him to work with the Attorney General of the Province of Ontario to explore the various measures which might be available to those two levels of government in connection with the Zundel case.

I will personally follow up on this matter with Mr. Rock so as to ensure that the various suggestions in your letter of January 3, 1995 are given serious consideration.

Sincerely, Arthur C. Eggleton