As you have no doubt noticed, civil liberties have increasingly been under attack this past year, and all signs point to the situation worsening in the near future. Since our creation in 2002, we have been defending civil liberties from the negative impact of counter-terrorism and national security measures, but it has been some time since we have been this concerned.
From national security agencies’ relentless efforts to obtain more powers, to politicians looking for a diversion from the terrible outcomes of neoliberal policies and capitalist greed, many are fear-mongering around “foreign interference,” scapegoating migrants and refugees, and equating expression of support for Palestinians lives and rights with support for terrorism, all to justify more restrictions on rights and freedoms.
This upcoming Giving Tuesday, we need your help to protect our civil liberties!
Your support will allow the ICLMG to continue our work on the following issues:
Defending advocacy for Palestinian rights and lives
We will continue to defend freedom of expression, association and assembly and denounce the equation of support for Palestinian rights with terrorism, the violent dismantling of encampments, the targeting of activists for arrests, and the charges and rights-violating release conditions they face simply for defending Palestinian rights and lives.
Abolishing the terror entities list
As we have done for the past two decades, we will continue work towards the abolition of the terrorist entities list, as it is an arbitrary political tool that undermines freedom of association, freedom of expression and due process in the courts.
Justice for Mohamed Harkat and abolishing security certificate
Speaking of administrative tools, the security certificate regime circumvents the need for the state, in a criminal trial, to present solid evidence of culpability. We will continue to advocate for the abolition of this regime as it violates due process and the presumption of innocence, and for Mohamed Harkat, who has lived under a draconian security certificate for more than 20 years, to not be deported to likely arbitrary detention, disappearance, torture and death in Algeria.
Foreign interference
Bill C-70, which was adopted in record speed without any amendment, will have significant impacts – both directly and in the form of a chilling effect – on privacy, academic and press freedoms, the right to protest and engage in dissent, efforts at international cooperation and solidarity, and it could well be used to profile people on political, racial, religious, or nationality grounds. The recent Mandate Letter of the National Security and Intelligence Advisor ordering her to systematize the flow of intelligence across government is worrisome. We continue to give our recommendations in defense of civil liberties to the Foreign Interference Inquiry, and plan to create a mechanism to monitor how the law is used, as well as continue pushing back against xenophobic fear-mongering.
Rights at the border
We have seen a resurgence, even in the past few days, of fear-mongering from politicians around migrants and refugees, with calls to bolster the powers of border security agencies as well as restricting the number of people we welcome to Canada. It’s not new but has been getting worse recently. We will continue pushing back on the false narrative depicting migrants and refugees as security risks and advocating for rights protection and accountability for border agencies, including by monitoring the creation of a new CBSA and RCMP watchdog and complaint body.
Extradition reform & protecting Hassan Diab
As you may have seen in our last News Digest, Canadian professor Dr. Hassan Diab is currently the target of an organized smear campaign and death threats, and renewed calls for the government to extradite him to France. We will continue pushing for Canada to protect Dr. Diab – as well as for the reform of Canada’s extradition law.
International development assistance
We continue to monitor and critique the implementation of the authorization regime for organizations that provide international assistance to vulnerable populations in areas controlled by groups considered terrorist by the Canadian government. The unclear, invasive and burdensome regime – launched in April 2024 – has failed to even process, let alone approve, a single application so far. We will continue to work with partners to advocate for improvements on this issue.
Repatriate Canadians arbitrarily detained in North East Syria
We will continue advocating for the return of the rest of the Canadian citizens and the non-Canadian mothers of Canadian children indefinitely detained in Syrian camps under conditions akin to torture; as is Canada’s responsibility under domestic and international law. We will also continue to push for an independent investigation into the recent death of FJ, a Quebec mother who Canada separated from her children.
Online harms
We will continue our work to ensure that the Canadian government’s proposals on “online harms” do not violate fundamental freedoms, or exacerbate the silencing of racialized and marginalized voices.
Systemic Islamophobia and countering terrorist financing
Building on our groundbreaking 2021 report on the prejudiced targeting of Muslim-led charities by the Canada Revenue Agency, we will continue advocating in Canada and internationally for changes to counter terror financing laws that undermine civil society and civic space.
And so. much. more!
Please support our work of protecting civil liberties in a time of increased attacks.
Please share our appeal widely via email & on Facebook + Twitter + Instagram
Thank you!
Xan & Tim