Bill increasing powers of spy agency and federal law enforcement has met with accusations it is too broad and infringes on rights to privacy and free speech

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Canadian civil society groups are bringing their challenge to a contentious new anti-terror bill to an international audience: a key United Nations rights body in Geneva.

Opponents of bill C-51 will use a periodic review of Canada’s international rights obligations this week by the UN human rights committee to voice a laundry list of concerns related to the anti-terror legislation and other national security issues.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and Amnesty International Canada (AIC) are among the groups that will plead their case before the UN panel.

“We want to ensure the human rights committee is aware of a fairly long list of serious, and we would say worsening, human rights concerns,” said AIC secretary general Alex Neve.

“There’s a bundle of issues related to national security, even before bill C-51 came along.”

Canadian human rights groups have panned the anti-terror bill, which was introduced by the Conservative government early this year after two fatal attacks on military personnel in Canada linked to terrorism, including the deadly shooting of Corporal Nathan Cirillo in Ottawa in October by gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.

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The bill increases the powers of Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service; expands the no-fly list; gives federal law enforcement new powers of preventive arrest; and bans the promotion of terrorism. The federal government argues the measures are necessary to combat the threat posed by terrorism at home and abroad and prevent future attacks.

Opponents, however, claim the bill is overly broad, lacks sufficient oversight for national security and law enforcement agencies and infringes on a series of rights, including the right to privacy and the right to freedom of speech.

Other national security concerns that will be flagged in Geneva include an immigration law that allows the Canadian government to revoke the citizenship of dual citizens convicted of terrorism, treason or spying offences.

A Canadian government delegation will also have a chance to make a statement and answer questions from the 18-member panel of independent experts during the three-day review process.

It is the first time in a decade the UN committee has had a chance to look at whether Canada is meeting its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, one of the UN’s core international rights treaties. Canada is one of 168 countries that are party to the covenant.

The UN scrutiny comes just as Canadian federal political parties ramp up for a general election expected in October, in which national security is expected to play a prominent role.

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Canadian public opinion on C-51 has slipped since it was first introduced, with a narrow majority now opposing the legislation.

A slide in the polls over the past few months by the third-placed Liberals has been linked in part to their support of the controversial bill, despite leader Justin Trudeau’s vow to repeal sections of the act if the party wins the election.

Canadian NGOs will also flag issues related to indigenous affairs during the review in Geneva, including the higher than average rate of indigenous Canadians in prison and violence against indigenous women.

The UN committee will issue its findings, which are not legally binding, on 23 July.