ICLMG 30/06/2016 - The Liberal government has recently tabled Bill C-22, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, in order to create the long-awaited committee to look over Canada's national security activities. As all the other Five Eyes already have such a committee, it is, in theory, a welcome addition to our inadequate national security oversight and review apparatus. Unfortunately, on paper, it falls short in many respects and we have several concerns to raise about the nature of the mandate, the extent of the Committee's powers, the "for national security reasons" excuse to withhold information and refuse reviews, the fact that the Committee submits its reports to the Prime Minister - rather than Parliament - who can censor them, the number and appointment of members, the non-binding recommendations, and the broad and arbitrary limits on what can be disclosed, among others. We will be keeping a close eye on parliamentary debates in the fall and urge the Opposition to ask questions and propose amendments to strenghten the bill and national security accountability.

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Version française: Notre analyse de C-22: Un projet de loi inadéquate et inquiétant

The Toronto Star 27/06/2016 - 1. Improve Bill C-22. 2. Create an expert super-watchdog. Parliamentary oversight is only one part of the solution. Even if the  committee were given full access, it would not be able to adequately oversee all of the many agencies and departments with national security responsibilities. 3. Undo the most egregious aspects of the Anti-Terrorism Act. No amount of oversight can address the profound pitfalls of the Tories' draconian security policy. The act compromises Canadians' privacy in unprecedented ways, criminalizes the "promoting" of terrorism, gives CSIS the power to perform the sort of dirty tricks it was created to pre-empt, and allows imprisonment of up to five years to prevent crimes that "may be carried out." [...] There is no evidence these policies make us any safer, whereas there can be no question that they undermine the values that make us who we are. The government is right to try to shine a light on Canada's shadowy security establishment. But the proposed parliamentary committee is unlikely ever to uncover a bigger scandal than the one in plain sight, passed into law last year.

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ICLMG 27/06/2016 - After reading the blog posted by Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion on June 26, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, [...] we would like to remind him that Canada, contrary to what some people might think, isn't always supportive of victims of torture. Here are some examples to refresh our memories: 1. For years, Omar Khadr has languished in Guantanamo, where he was tortured physically and mentally. Canada refused to bring him  back, even though he was 15 years old at the time of his arrest. Neither the Liberal government at that time, nor the Conservative government later, asked the US for his repatriation. 2. Mohamed Harkat is threatened with deportation to Algeria where he faces a high risk of torture. Canada hasn't done anything yet to stop his deportation to torture. 3. There is overwhelming evidence that, during the Canadian combat mission in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2009, many of the detainees transferred to the Afghan authorities were tortured. 4. Last but not least, the Trudeau governement is refusing to apologize to and compensate Ahmad El Maati, Muayyed Nurredin and Abdullah Almalki, all victims of torture because of the actions of Canadian officials, even though, when they were in the Opposition, the Liberals supported a motion for the Harper government to apologize to and compensate the three torture survivors.

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CSIS locks horns with diplomats over anti-terror info sharing 

Hoodfar Family 25/06/2016 - More than two weeks have passed since Professor Homa Hoodfar's arrest on 6 June 2016. Since that time, she has been held in Evin prison and denied any direct contact with her family. Her lawyer has also been prohibited from seeing her or accessing her case file. As a result, the cause of her arrest and the nature of the charges levelled against her were unclear until the Tehran Public Prosecutor announced on Friday 24 June 2016 that Professor Hoodfar is being investigated for "dabbling in feminism and security matters." Professor Hoodfar's family remain concerned about her health, safety, and wellbeing. "We do not understand why her lawyer has not been allowed to see her," says her sister Katayoon." We merely want to know that she is all right, that she is not in pain, that she has received her medicine, and that she is not being mistreated. Not knowing the conditions of her detention is incredibly worrying." The family asks for the immediate dismissal of these false accusations against an internationally recognised scholar whose work is respected and revered for its rigour and integrity across the world.

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The Toronto Star 30/06/2016 - Ottawa continues to advocate on behalf of Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian citizen serving a life sentence in Ethiopia on terrorism charges, said Liberal MP Omar Alghabra, the parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs. Makhtal, who has always maintained his innocence, was arrested in January 2006 on the border of Somalia and Kenya, after fleeing Mogadishu and the fall of the Somali Islamic Courts Union government. He was convicted in 2009 in a trial that human rights advocates insist was unfair. While Alghabra won't  confirm or deny that a prisoner exchange is in the works for Makhtal, the Star has confirmed with his cousin Said Maktal that a prison transfer had been approved by Ottawa last fall. The case is currently in the hands of the Ethiopian government. Bashir Makhtal was offered a prison transfer in 2013, but he rejected the option at the time because he said he was innocent. But because of his deteriorating health, he later agreed to the transfer, which would see him serve five more years in a Canadian prison, his cousin said. Maktal said he has met with Alghabra, who has assured him they are working to get his cousin back to Canada. "It has been a decade of injustice," he said. It would have been better if they got him released, but if they can speed up the transfer it would be a least good for the family to see their lost brother."

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The Globe and Mail 20/06/2016 - Others said: "It's just a five-minute delay, so quit whining." But when our son was 18 months old during a family vacation to Mexico, border officials confiscated our passports for 30 minutes with no explanation. That was a stressful situation especially when taking place in a foreign country. Which Canadian parent wants their child to turn 18 years old and remain on a security watch list as an adult? Some opined, "Change your child's name." But the federal government won't tell you if there is or isn't a list, if your child is or isn't on the list and how you get on or get off that list. Even if you successfully change your child's name to one that isn't on the list, you may well be asked: "Why did you change your child's name? Do you have something to hide?" The whole situation is  Kafkaesque. Air Canada suggested using an Aeroplan number. The problem is that Adam and other No Fly List Kids have had them for years and it doesn't always work. We want the federal government to do three things: First, immediately remove all Canadian children from the no-fly list. Second, create a Canadian redress system to eliminate false positives. Third, oversee all Canadian airlines that run no-fly lists just in case that maintaining an up-to-date no- fly list is frowned upon as an unnecessary "cost-centre" by airline executives. Three weeks ago, Public Safety Canada announced the creation of the PPIO (Passenger Protect Information Office). It's noteworthy that this federal government took faster action in six months than the previous one in six years. We're cautiously optimistic, as Mr. Goodale has personally committed to creating a permanent solution in 18 months' time.

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I help innocent people get off terrorism watch lists. As a gun control tool, they're useless.

The Canadian Press 24/06/2016 - In a case one civil libertarian warns could set a "very chilling precedent," a Nova Scotia man will face trial for swearing in public. Joseph Currie was arrested during a Halifax protest against the Conservatives' anti-terror legislation, Bill C-51, last year, and charged with "unlawfully (causing) a disturbance... by swearing." The lawyer said his client, who is alleged to have shouted obscenities into a megaphone, has no criminal record and will defend his "right to criticize the government publicly." Currie is due to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing next Wednesday and his trial is set to begin on Oct. 6.

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