The case of Maher Arar has sparked a multitude of responses. Arrested in New York on his return from overseas in the fall of 2002, Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen travelling on a Canadian passport, was interrogated by U.S. authorities and then deported to his native Syria. During nearly a year of Syrian captivity, Mr. Arar claims that he was subjected to an ordeal of recurring torture. Since his return to Canada in the fall of 2003, his case has ignited a considerable controversy. Already, several actions are underway:

- The federal government has convened a public inquiry into what role, if any, the Canadian authorities may have played in the U.S. decision to arrest, question, and deport Mr. Arar. CCLA was one of many organizations that pressed the government of Canada to launch the inquiry. Since the government had hesitated for several months, CCLA, in the meantime, filed a complaint with the RCMP Complaints Commission to ensure that at least the role of the RCMP would come under some external scrutiny.

- In early 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin secured an undertaking that, before they deported a Canadian citizen to a country other than Canada, the American authorities would alert the Canadian authorities. Prior to that, CCLA had called upon Martin to push for an undertaking that the U.S. would not deport Canadian citizens, travelling on Canadian passports, to any country other than Canada.

- In late January, the RCMP ransacked the home of Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O’Neill after she had published an article claiming to have detailed information about what Maher Arar told Syrian officials during his detention there. The purpose of the search, according to the RCMP, was to discover the sources O’Neill had used. Since then, she and the Ottawa Citizen have gone to court seeking to quash the search warrant. CCLA has intervened to challenge the constitutionality of the law that presumably authorized the RCMP action.