The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group issued the following news release supporting the Privacy Commissioner's concerns expressed in his 2001-2002 Annual Report to Parliament.

January 30, 2002
For Immediate Release

Privacy Commissioner's Annual Report
George Radwanski's Concerns Justified Says Civil Liberties Coalition

OTTAWA - Members of a national coalition set up to monitor the application of Canada's anti-terrorism legislation applaud the annual report tabled yesterday in Parliament by Privacy Commissioner George Radwanski. The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG) shares the concerns expressed by the Commissioner that the privacy rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charters of Rights are being seriously eroded by the web of anti-terrorism legislation adopted by Parliament since September 2001, or about to be adopted in coming months.

"The Privacy Commissioner has performed a service for all of us, citizens and legislators, by focusing attention on the impact of Bill C-17 and related initiatives, on existing human and civil rights protections" says Gerry Barr, co-Chair of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG) and President/CEO of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation. "Like Mr. Radwanski, we are concerned that measures adopted to protect Canadians are being used as an excuse to increase the surveillance powers of police and of the state for purposes other than the fight against terrorism, and constitute a violation of basic freedoms under the Charter of Rights".

"We are worried that some measures are overbroad and appear to have been prepared hurriedly to respond to U.S. pressures" adds Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a member of the monitoring group. "We fear that the introduction of intrusive technology, such as the creation of a 'Big Brother' data bank on the foreign travel activities of Canadians, represents a deeply troubling move toward what can only be viewed as a corner-stone for a parallel system to draconian U.S. security initiatives such as the Total Information Awareness project. This will further encourage the kind of racial profiling and abuse that has been carried out as a systematic practice by U.S. customs officials over the last few months. It also raises challenges to Canadian norms and tradition, and to both national and universal rights."

ICLMG believes that legislators, Parliament itself and the Government in power must find an appropriate balance, and reassert a commitment to the essential rights and protections of Canadians as embodied in the Constitution.

The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group is a coalition made up of NGOs, churches, unions, environmental advocates, civil rights advocates, other faith groups and groups representing immigrant and refugee communities in Canada (See list of members below).

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For more information, please contact:
Roch Tassé Guy
Caron
Co-ordinator
Media Relations
International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
Council of Canadians
(613) 241-5298
(613) 233-2773 ext. 234
rocht@iclmg.ca
gcaron@canadians.ca

Katia Gianneschi
Media Relations
Canadian Council for International Co-operation
(613) 241-7007 ext. 311
katiag@ccic.ca

ICLMG members include:
Amnesty International
Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale
Canadian Arab Federation
Canadian Bar Association
Canadian Auto Workers Union
Canadian Centre for Philanthropy
Canadian Council for International Co-operation
Canadian Council for Refugees
Canadian Ethnocultural Council
Canadian Labour Congress
CARE Canada
Centre for Social Justice
Council of Canadians
David Suzuki Foundation
Development and Peace
Greenpeace
International Development and Relief Foundation
Inter Pares
Muslim Lawyers Association
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Primate's World Relief and Development Fund
Quebec Civil Liberties Union
Rights and Democracy
United Steelworkers of America
World Vision Canada.