Civil Liberties and Privacy News

By Ian Mulgrew

By Dana Gabriel

Without much fanfare and overshadowed by Canadians heading to the polls on May 2 for the fourth election in seven years, a controversial bill that would further comply with U.S. aviation security practices became law. The measure supports plans for a North American security perimeter and illustrates how the Canadian government is more interested in appeasing U.S. interests than protecting the privacy and freedoms of its own citizens.

In November of 2007, the Conservative government expressed concerns over privacy implications associated with the U.S. Secure Flight Program and filed objections with the Department of Homeland Security. They were urging an exemption on a measure that would require Canadian airlines to turn over information on passengers flying over the U.S. en route to other destinations. Despite their grievances being dismissed, they eventually caved in to U.S. demands. In a move to further bring Canada in line with American air travel security rules, Bill C-42, An Act to amend the Aeronautics Act was introduced in Parliament on June 17 of last year. With little media attention, it passed through the House of Commons on March 2, 2011, by a vote of 246 to 34. On March 23, it received royal assent and became law. Under Bill C-42, Canadian airlines are required to send traveler information through the Secure Flight Program 72 hours before departure. The Transportation Security Administration checks the data against security watch lists which could result in passengers receiving extra screening or even being barred from boarding their flight.

In an Action Alert from December 2010, the Council of Canadians described how Bill C-42, “requires that a large amount of your personal information be transmitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security even if your flight only passes through U.S. airspace. It's not just name, gender, age and destination as government sources claim. Any and all information contained in your travel records will be transmitted to U.S. security officials, who may use it for whatever purposes they see fit.” It goes on to say, “Canada has made many steps to harmonize airline security with U.S. programs but none has been good enough to prevent ever more draconian demands. Our severely flawed made-in-Canada ‘no fly’ list was supposed to prevent the imposition of the U.S. list on Canada. But the benchmark has moved again to the point the U.S. must issue travel permissions to Canadians.” The Conservative government has failed to sufficiently safeguard the privacy of Canadians. Personal information collected could be used for immigration, as well as law enforcement purposes and could also be shared with other countries. Bill C-42 surrenders Canadian authority to the Department of Homeland Security.

full article http://beyourownleader.blogspot.com/2011/04/us-dictating-north-american-air-travel.html

As protester is acquitted of charges from 2007 Montebello protest, questions resurface about police

By Tim Groves

A Quebec court ruling in January 2011 found police acted illegally in trying to shut down a protest in Montebello, Quebec, in 2007, when they arrested two women on a downtown street. This ruling has led to renewed calls for an inquiry into another police action—one now well-known, thanks to Youtube—at that same protest: the alleged use of undercover officers to incite violence.

by Colin Perkel

A full-scale public inquiry is needed in light of the widespread and violent trampling of civil rights by police at last summer’s $1-billion G20 summit in Toronto, a new report concludes.

By Dana Gabriel

Canada is under pressure from U.S. officials to further comply with American security rules which in some cases, threatens its sovereignty and the privacy of its citizens. As a result of the war on terrorism, the U.S. government now has more power to restrict air travel and is not only dictating North American, but also international security measures. 

 The RCMP.  The BC Rail Scandal Basi, Virk, and Basi Case.  The RCMP. The War Measures Act of 1970 and the FLQ. Two stories. A single thread connects them.

 36 hours after the War Measures Act was imposed on October 16, 1970, I was at a party a few blocks away from the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.  Many of the people present were NDP – most present were going to the protest demonstration the next day, a Sunday, against the imposition of the War Measures Act (the WMA). 

 Organizing had gone on, and Conservative, NDP, Creditiste (Quebec Social Credit) MPs were anxious to be at the protest, as well as many, many others.  The day before, I had been on the phone to Eric Neilson, Conservative MP for the Yukon.  He had trouble hearing me.  “This phone line is terrible”, he said.  “I can hardly hear you. I wonder what’s the matter.”

By Michael Geist

The push for new Internet surveillance capabilities goes back to 1999, when government officials began crafting proposals to institute new surveillance technologies within Canadian networks along with additional legal powers to access surveillance and subscriber information.

The so-called lawful access initiatives stalled in recent years, but earlier this month the government tabled its latest proposal with three bills that received only limited attention despite their potential to fundamentally reshape the Internet in Canada.

Excessively armed thugs parading through the streets, military checkpoints at traffic lights, police helicopters hovering over the city, a long chain-link fence around the center of downtown, secret snipers on rooftops, urban warfare weapons, bomb-sniffing dogs, sound canons; this is not the sight of the infamous Green Zone in blood-drenched Baghdad, but a picture of what downtown Toronto will look like this weekend when the city hosts the world’s leading heads of states, and government officials.

They are in Toronto for the G20 conference, where they plan to discuss a global economic order, and new austerity measures for heavily indebted nations. It is expected that U.S. President Barack Obama will fearmonger about Iran’s nuclear capabilities and motives, just as he did at the last G20 meeting that took place in Pittsburgh in September, 2009.

 After 4 years of delays and postponements, British Columbians were not prepared for June 1, 2010 when another (apparently preventable) delay was called in the BC Rail Corruption Trial, as soon as the court was in session. How wise is this strange new judge? 

t month, downtown Toronto will morph into a full-scale battlefield, with the front lines clearly defined, as Canadians hit the streets to protest G8/G20 leaders, and to stand in fellowship with the people of the world in the global war for economic and political justice. It is expected that there will be 11,000 police officers, private security guards, and intelligence agents, to assist and protect the gangsters of governments who pose to the public as statesmen and diplomats. In April, Colin Freeze of The Globe and Mail reported that the country’s military will also be on hand to defend so-called world dignitaries, saying “unspecified numbers of Canadian soldiers and spies will also work behind the scenes to help thousands of police safeguard the meetings.”

By Dana Gabriel

It appears as if the G20 summit in Toronto is shaping up to be a showdown between anarchists and police. Caught in the middle of the security circus are local residents. If there is violence and property damage, peaceful protesters will also be demonized. The recent bombing of a bank, perpetrated by a so-called anarchist group, has given an excuse to enact more police state measures during the summit. The curious timing of the attack emphasizes the threat of terrorism and further justifies the huge security apparatus being assembled. 

by Dana Gabriel

The G20 summit will be held on June 26-27 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre preceded by the G8 summit which will take place in Huntsville, Ontario. The secretive meetings will be attended by world leaders, finance ministers, central bank governors, along with thousands of other delegates. It will be the largest security event in Canadian history exceeding the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Downtown Toronto will be turned into a security fortress with fences, barricades, checkpoints and street closures thus greatly affecting local residents.