METROVANINDEPENDENT.COM
November 2015
7
NEWS
Pressure builds to revamp Conservative anti-terrorism bill
OTTAWA — Pressure is building on the
new Liberal government to go well beyond
revamping the Conservative anti-terrorism
bill to rethinking a whole raft of Stephen
Harper security measures and policies.
The Liberals have promised to rewrite
what they call "problematic elements" of
Bill C-51, the omnibus security legislation
ushered in by the Conservatives following
two jihadi-inspired attacks on soldiers.
Fo r inst a nce, Ju stin Tr ude au's
fledgling government plans to ensure all
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
warrants respect the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms. This would roll back new
provisions allowing CSIS to disrupt terror
plots through tactics that breach the
charter as long as a judge approves.
It has also committed to creating a
special committee of parliamentarians
to keep an eye on national security
operations.
Organizations including Amnesty
International Canada and the Ottawa-based
International Civil Liberties Monitoring
Group recently issued a report urging the
Liberals to go further by implementing
neglected 2006 recommendations on
comprehensive security review from the
inquiry into the overseas torture of Maher
Arar.
The groups also call for apologies
and compensation to three other ArabCanadians who were brutalized in Syrian
prisons, as well as the repeal of measures
that eroded the rights of people accused
of being security threats.
Bill C-51 requires a complete overhaul,
but the need is wider, said Alex Neve,
"We are happy to have an open
discussion but we continue to
believe that C-51 is reckless,
dangerous, and ineffective
legislation that ought to be fully
repealed."
- Steve Anderson, OpenMedia
executive director
Justin Trudeau.
The Liberals have promised
to rewrite what they call
"problematic elements" of Bill
C-51.
secretary general of Amnesty Canada.
"It is time for a refit of Canada's national
security laws that puts human rights at
the center, no longer a secondary casual
consideration after the fact."
Neve said the re a re nume rous
United Nations-l WfV