CSIS agents participated in interrogating Mr. Khadr while he was being held in Guantanamo Bay Prison as a child. Furthermore, Mr. Khadr's appeals to the Canadian government for help in being released from the said USA prison (where prisoners are routinely tortured) were ignored. So, the Canadian government had full knowledge that one of its citizens was being tortured by a foreign government and also participated in interrogating (probably with the use of torture and a complete lack of due process ) them on foreign soil. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms prescribes that the Canadian government cannot do this. The government is breaking the law if it tramples on a person's rights and freedoms, which includes the right to due process and not to be tortured under any circumstances. Even if Mr Khadr was guilty of enormous crimes, the Canadian government had a responsibility to respect Mr Khadr's rights and freedoms. So, the apology and the compensation are the right thing to do.