Vive Le Canada - Canada's Anti-Terrorism Law Causes Worry

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Monday, Jan 26, 2004

Effects of anti-terrorism law worry minorities: study

OTTAWA (CP) - Members of ethnic minorities have deep misgivings about many aspects of Canada's new anti-terrorism law, a ground-breaking federal study has found.

Key provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act created "a strong and prevailing perception" among study participants that the law tramples a basic legal tenet - that people are considered innocent until proven guilty.

"This was considerable cause for concern," says a report detailing the findings.

The study, Minority Views on the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act, was conducted by the Montreal consulting firm Createc for the Justice Department in preparation for a parliamentary review of the law expected this fall.

Another quote from the article referenced above:

"The Anti-Terrorism Act also permits the government to brand individuals and organizations as terrorists, imposing hefty penalties for anyone who participates in their activities or assists members of the groups."

Effects of anti-terrori...