Statement of Support From The National Council of Canadian Muslims

posted on February 20, 2012 | in Category Security Certificates | PermaLink

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (formerly known as Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations) today reiterates its opposition to the flawed Security Certificates process which fails to account for transparency and respect for due process.

The highly criticized process allows for secret evidence to be used to detain and deport non-citizens if they are deemed a threat to national security. If any security certificate detainee is guilty of wrong-doing, then they must be afforded the basic human right to due process; they should be able to hear and challenge the evidence against them. Deeming a detainee to be a terrorist, based on secret intelligence whose sources may be questionable, and then deporting him to face possible torture is not only inhumane, it is counter-intuitive.

We, once again, call on the federal government to report in detail on the implementation of the extensive recommendations made by Justice Dennis O’Connor in the two Arar Inquiry reports. Those recommendations call for sufficient oversight resources and mechanisms to protect essential rights and liberties and check the powers given to and wielded by our security agencies.

NCCM - National Council of Canadian Muslims | [link]