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QUEBEC — With the premier saying journalistic freedom is a fundamental right, the provincial government is tightening the rules thatallow police to obtain warrants to conduct surveillance of reporters.

And in a sign of how seriously Quebec considers the situation, Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux has ordered inspections of Quebec’s main police forces including Montreal’s and the Sûreté du Québec to verify their investigation practices.

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“Concerned is too weak a word,” Premier Philippe Couillard said Tuesday at a hastily called news conference. “For me what is happening is serious. It’s not something that can be treated lightly.

“We are faced with a major issue for a democratic society. I want to reassure the population and the media that I support them in their work, in the protection of journalistic sources.

“People have died in the name of freedom of the press. It is a fundamental freedom.”