Canada's No-Fly List Which Takes Off This Summer Provides False Sense Of Securit

We will never know how many Canadians have been so specially designated on more than a dozen lists maintained by the United States. The proliferation of these watch lists around the globe has been a troubling development in the "war on terror." Now the Canadian government will complicate the situation even more by introducing its own no-fly list (set to be launched on June 18, 2007), which will inevitably be shaped by, and be available to, the Americans and perhaps even others. As we consider the need to improve our intelligence and law enforcement systems, we must have an open and informed dialogue about what measures truly make us safer while ensuring that our fundamental values and liberties are not sacrificed. The proper forum for such a debate is our legislature. Bypassing this necessary debate in introducing the cleverly named "Passenger protect program" is irresponsible and cavalier, particularly given what we learned from the case of Maher Arar, the Canadian citizen who was rendered to Syria for torture while in transit through New York. This charge is not being made lightly, as the information- sharing protocols and mechanisms, which were criticized by Justice Dennis O'Connor in the Arar inquiry findings, have not been improved or addressed – yet Ottawa is pushing ahead with its list. More: http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=2953&cid=9&sid=0 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on June 15, 2007]

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