Petition Tag - secret trials

In recent years, Security Certificates have been used to imprison mostly Arab and Muslim immigrants, many of whom, one arm of the Canadian government concludes, could face torture or worse if they are deported to their countries of origin.

At the same time, other arms of the government push for deportation in gross violation of the UN Convention on Torture. These men have been jailed for years on vague accusations of links to terrorist groups, unable to defend themselves as most of the evidence is held in secret.

In February, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the security certificate process, ruling it a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As the government of Canada responds to the Supreme Court's challenge with new legislation, we invite you to join us in calling for nothing short of full adherence to the most basic human rights.

We believe the government may attempt to introduce a “special advocate,” who would have clearance to secret evidence but may not be able to even speak with their clients, as is the case in Great Britain, where some special advocates have resigned for fear they are simply legitimizing a travesty of justice.

We don't want to see some false sense of “balance” created, where a government appointed advocate makes it acceptable for our country to deport people to torture or jail them indefinitely without the ability to properly defend themselves.

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