Khadr the Tories' Albatross?

Ezra Levant says the Conservatives are sinking their own political fortunes by ignoring the will of the people and bringing Omar Khadr "home":

Let's just talk about the partisan politics of this. Because politics is the business of Lawrence Cannon, our foreign minister who cut a midnight deal with the Obama administration to spring Khadr out of prison.

According to an Ipsos-Reid poll, 69% of Canadians say Cannon's plea deal is too lenient. But even that 69% is misleadingly low, because the pollster said that, under the deal, Khadr would be "released some day after serving his sentence." That's not true. Under Cannon's plea bargain, Khadr won't serve his sentence. That's the point. He'll be out on the streets in just a year or two, because of Canada's lenient parole laws.

If Ipsos-Reid had asked about the two real alternatives: letting Khadr finish his eight-year prison term in the U.S., or letting him loose in Canada in 2012, opposition would probably have risen to 89%. Trial lawyers, Khadr's depraved family (they share his support for al-Qaida), and CBC reporters probably add up to 11%.

For the sake of argument, let's say there really are 31% of Canadians who want Khadr free. From a strictly partisan point of view, why would Cannon compete for those voters instead of the 69% who want Khadr kept out?

When was the last time the Tories did anything that had 69% popularity?

Sure beats the heck out of me. Why would a government that has never enjoyed majority status ignore such compelling numbers? Could it be for the same reason that several years ago they designated October an annual Islamic History Month (i.e. because on occasion, and especially where Muslims/Islam are concerned, they have been known to take complete leave of their senses)?