No, this is what we got for electing Harper's Conservatives. In pandering to an intolerant base by repeatedly appearing to be tough on terror (i.e. picking on Muslims), the Tories endured one legal beat-down after another. They also set a precedent for 8-figure settlements to Canadians subjected to abuse that their own government aided and abetted (maliciously or otherwise).

In short, Harper left Trudeau with no legal leg to stand on in a battle against Khadr's lawsuit, on top of a long history of vindictiveness against him. In sharp contrast to its predecessors, the Liberal government adroitly realized there was no point pursuing a case it had no hope of winning -- and chose to cut its losses in a settlement.