Anti-terror powers never used but still needed, says justice minister

posted on February 22, 2005 | in Category Bill C-36 | PermaLink

Original author: Canadian Press (CP) Source: The National Post URL: [link] Date: February 21, 2005

OTTAWA (CP) - Special police and judicial powers granted three years ago to combat terrorism are still needed, even though most of them have never been used, says Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. "The whole purpose of anti-terrorism laws is to ensure that terrorist acts don't take place to begin with," Cotler said Monday after appearing at a Senate committee. He was testifying there on federal legislation that was rushed into law in December 2001, less than three months after the attacks by Islamic extremists on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. The law gave Canadian police the power to make arrests without warrant and to hold suspects without charge if they believe a terrorist act is imminent. Suspects can also be compelled to testify before a judge about what they know of terrorist plans, rather than remaining silent as is their normal right. The arrest and detention powers have never been used and there has been only one attempt to compel testimony since the law was passed. But Cotler said that's no reason to do away with the powers that raised an outcry among civil libertarians when they were enacted. "My position at this point is that those provisions, even if we have not had to have resort to them, are still required," said Cotler. As a backbench Liberal MP in 2001, Cotler expressed concern about the powers and lobbied successfully for a sunset clause that would see them lapse after five years. That term won't run out until 2006. Many other provisions of the law are up for examination now, as part of a separate three-year review written into the legislation. © The Canadian Press 2005

© The Canadian Press 2005