Ottawa, Monday, July 27, 2015 -The UN Human Rights Committee report on the state of human rights in Canada reinforces the concerns raised repeatedly by the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG).
Last June, the ICLMG submitted a brief to the UN Human Rights Committee highlighting that Bill C-51 is a serious threat to civil liberties, freedom of expression, and the right to fair and transparent judicial procedures. Particularly alarming are the extended powers granted to CSIS, powers that had already been extended by Bill C-44. “Canada is the only country among the Five Eyes that has neither a robust review mechanism nor an oversight system for its security and intelligence agencies. We ask the government to remedy this unacceptable situation,” declares Dominique Peschard co-chair of the ICLMG.
“The UN report mirrors our concerns about the Anti-Terrorism Act 2015. The broadening of the definition of activities that undermine the security of Canada, increased information-sharing between national and international agencies, and the secret procedures used to place individuals on the no-fly list all pave the way to abuse and discriminatory profiling” says Monia Mazigh, national coordinator for the ICLMG. “There is no way C-51 can be fixed. It must be repealed”.
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ICLMG’s brief submitted to the HRC of the UN: