February 26, 2015 – Rights groups across Canada reacted with alarm and deep concern to the news that the government has brought forward a motion limiting study of Bill C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015, by the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to only four sessions of two hours each.  With the first session devoted to government witnesses, including the Minister of Public Safety, this would leave only six hours for all other potential experts.

Amnesty International Canada, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, La Ligue des Droits et Libertés and the National Council of Canadian Muslims all called on the government to withdraw the motion and agree to a schedule of extensive hearings that will ensure that all relevant expertise and perspectives across the country is available to the Committee during the course of its study of Bill C-51.

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February 19, 2015 – Today, a group of 22 eminent Canadians, comprised of former Prime Ministers, Ministers of Justice, Ministers of Public Safety, Solicitors General, Supreme Court of Canada Justices, and members of national security, law enforcement and privacy review bodies, published a statement in The Globe and Mail and La Presse calling urgently for an enhanced approach to national security review and oversight in the country. The group includes men and women whose public service, in areas where they have been responsible for addressing wide-ranging national security challenges, stretches from 1968 to 2014.

This important statement comes at a time when Canada is considering a radical expansion of national security powers across government, but has made no equivalent proposals for strengthened review and oversight of the agencies and departments responsible for national security.

Amnesty International, the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, La Ligue des droits et libertés, and the National Council for Canadian Muslims strongly support this statement, which highlights the importance of robust review and oversight for the three critically important and inter-connected reasons of protecting human rights, strengthening national security, and building public trust and governmental accountability.

This statement, endorsed by eminent Canadians who have served in public positions of authority and expertise relating to national security, law, and government accountability, makes clear that strong accountability mechanisms lead to better security for all Canadians: “Canada’s national security policies and practices must be effective in order to protect public safety. Independent oversight and effective review mechanisms help ensure that resources devoted to national security activities are being utilized effectively and efficiently.”

Read the full statement, including the names of the 22 endorsing individuals, here.

January 30, 2015 – The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group is deeply concerned by several provisions of the latest Harper’s government’s anti-terrorism bill, tabled Friday in the House of Commons, including: the lowering of the threshold for making preventative arrests and obtaining a peace bond and the extension of the period of time recognizance conditions can apply; the expansion of criteria to prevent an individual from boarding a plane, without the need for a judicial warrant; and provisions that will criminalize “advocating” or “promoting” the commission of terrorism offenses.

The ICLMG is especially concerned that these additional powers awarded to security agencies are not paired with an increase in the existing oversight regime that is already deficient. “Existing measures have already led to serious violations of the rights of innocent people and the government now wants to introduce new measures notwithstanding the fact that it has not yet implemented the necessary oversight and review mechanisms to protect Canadians”, says Roch Tassé, ICLMG National Coordinator. “The measures introduced in Bill C-51 greatly increase the potential for further national security abuses. Before introducing such drastic new measures, the government needs to demonstrate that existing legislation is insufficient and must implement the type of robust and comprehensive oversight and review mechanisms proposed by Justice O’Connor who presided over the Arar Inquiry, as well as create opportunities for greater parliamentary oversight”, adds Tassé.

The ICLMG is also worried about the introduction of a new criminal offense for ‘advocating’ or ‘promoting’ the commission of a terrorism act. “These are terms that can be interpreted very subjectively and have the potential to impact on freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom of the press and academic freedom”, says Dominique Peschard, ICLMG co-chair. “For instance, it could shut down a critical debate on the ‘root causes’ of terrorism. It is a very dangerous fine line to walk if one values freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in a free and democratic society.”

Given the serious implications and the potential overreach of the proposed legislation, ICLMG urges the government to allow for serious debate and thorough consideration of the bill and calls for extended and wide-ranging consultations in public parliamentary committee hearings.

Link to the press release