EMERGENCY PROTEST against new security certificates

In 2007, after years of popular outcry against the so-called security certificate, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the legislation was unconstitutional. Outrageously, the government turned around and introduced new legislation that was almost identical to the old law, and which failed to address any of the concerns of the popular campaign. Despite strong opposition, and despite the opinion of almost every legal organization in Canada that the new law was not even constitutional, it was railroaded through the House of Commons and Senate with the support of the Liberal party and adopted as law.

The government is now using the new law to keep punishing security certificate detainees who have already spent years and years in prison or under house arrest without charge or trial, under threat of deportation to torture.

On Wednesday, 27 February, we gathered to express our anger and to demand that the Charkaoui, Harkat, Jaballah and Mahjoub families, as well as Hassan Almrei, be immediately released from the racist security certificate process.