Ottawa (Rajeev Sharma): Newly released documents from the United States Justice Department reveal that the Canadian government denied convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein permission to enter the country in 2018 because of his criminal record.
The documents, part of a massive release of around 3.5 million pages made public on Friday, include email correspondence between Epstein and Canadian officials. Epstein had approached the Canadian consulate in Los Angeles seeking a temporary resident permit for a visit to Vancouver from April 11 to 13, 2018, where he planned to attend a TED conference.
According to the records, the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles responded on April 4, 2018, informing Epstein that his request had been refused following what it described as a “careful and sympathetic review.” The letter stated that Epstein was inadmissible to Canada due to his conviction for a crime that would be treated as an indictable offence under Canadian law.
The consulate further noted that exemptions from inadmissibility are granted only in exceptional cases, typically under circumstances considered humanitarian or compassionate, and that Epstein’s case did not meet those criteria.
The release of the documents follows the enactment of a U.S. law by President Donald Trump, passed amid growing public pressure, which requires the disclosure of information collected by the U.S. government related to Epstein and his activities.
