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An Ontario man who spent four years fighting for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) languishes in a Syrian prison with his wife and two children and wants the Canadian government to bring them home.

“Why shouldn’t I be able to go home?” he said in an interview with CTV. “I’ve done nothing in Canada. I’ve broken no laws there at all.”

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Wrong. Under Section 83.181 of the Criminal Code, anyone who leaves or tries to leave to commit an offence that is indictable in Canada is liable to imprisonment for up to 10 years.

And yet, the Liberals have failed to apply the law fully to jihadists who have returned. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told the House in 2017 that “the number of returnees is in the order of 60” and said fighters considered a threat are monitored. Further, they will be tried if there is evidence they acted outside the law.