Posted by admin on Dec 18th, 2008
Toronto Star. December 18, 2008. Michelle Shephard
Canada’s spy service has been listening to telephone conversations between terrorism suspects and their lawyers for the past 18 months as part of a strict monitoring program developed by the government. The revelation today enraged defense lawyers who argue that intercepting these calls breaches the fundamental right of solicitor-client privilege. “I feel as though my house was broken into,” said Toronto lawyer Barb Jackman. “It’s incredibly invasive.”
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Posted by admin on Nov 4th, 2008
Colin Perkel. The Gobe and Mail. November 4, 2008
TORONTO — It’s simply too soon to decide whether parts of Canada’s new national security legislation might be unconstitutional, a Federal Court judge ruled yesterday. Chief Justice Allan Lutfy said that he did not have a factual basis to decide whether the revamped law tramples the rights of foreigners detained as suspected terrorists under national security certificates. “This constitutional motion is supported with little, if any, adjudicative facts or evidence,” the court held. “The motion is substantially based on legislative facts or … constitutes a ‘facial constitutional challenge’ of the impugned provisions in the new legislation.”
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Posted by admin on Oct 2nd, 2008
October 02, 2008, Michelle Shephard, National Security Reporter Toronto Star
Critics call the prison where Syrian refugee Hassan Almrei spends his days “Guantanamo North.” As the sole prisoner at the specially built detention centre on the grounds of Millhaven penitentiary in the Kingston area, Almrei is locked up alone, with guards looking in from an adjoining room. Later this month, he’ll mark the seven-year anniversary of his incarceration on a “national security certificate” as the federal government continues to try to deport him as a danger to Canada.
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Posted by admin on Sep 24th, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 CBC News
All intelligence and information related to the case of an Ottawa man arrested in 2002 on a security certificate must be released by the federal government to his lawyers, a Federal Court judge has ruled. Canadian Security and Intelligence Service drafts, diagrams, recordings, photographs and other evidence concerning the bid to deport Algerian refugee Mohamed Harkat are covered by the ruling released by Judge Simon Noël on Wednesday.
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Posted by admin on Sep 19th, 2008
Montreal, 18 September 2008 – The Supreme Court announced today that it will not consider the question of whether it is legal for Canada to deport someone who is recognized to be at risk of torture. Me. Johanne Doyon, Adil Charkaoui’s lawyer, asked the Supreme Court in April 2007 to consider the constitutionality of the law allowing the Minister of Immigration to balance the alleged risks in national security cases and to deport non-citizens to death and torture.
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