GOVERNMENT STANDS BY CSIS DESPITE SIRC REPORT

In an April letter to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), federal public safety minister Stockwell Day declared that CSIS had acted “appropriately” in the case of Mohamed Monsour Jabarah. Yet, just a few months earlier, the federally-appointed independent agency, the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC), said its investigation revealed that CSIS had violated several of Mr. Jabarah’s constitutional rights.

In the summer of 2002, Mr. Jabarah, a Canadian citizen, then 19-years-old, wound up in Oman in the custody of CSIS. At the time, CSIS reportedly “facilitated” his transmission to the United States where he finally pleaded guilty to involvement in terrorist conspiracies against U.S. embassies. He sustained a life sentence.

“Since that time, CCLA has been attempting to find out exactly what happened. Two public safety ministers assured the civil liberties group that CSIS had handled things properly. But, in the summer of 2007, SIRC found otherwise.

Several months later, CCLA asked the current minister, Stockwell Day, what the government had done regarding those CSIS employees who may have misbehaved. But, in April, Mr. Day openly disagreed with SIRC. Shortly thereafter, CCLA called upon the government either to “disclose publicly the reasons for its disagreement with SIRC” or “convene an independent inquiry to resolve” the issue”.

“In no event,” said CCLA General Counsel Alan Borovoy and Public Safety Project Director Graeme Norton, “should this stand-off [be allowed to] continue”.