Didn't know where this was to go. This is Canada, not the US.
Internal disagreement on whether to keep or toss the recent anti-terror measures.
http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,11965-7007787,00.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Canada Set To Kill Anti-Terror Measures</b>
28/02/2007 07:19 AM
David Ljunggren
Canada's Parliament is set to scrap two contentious anti-terror measures on Tuesday, angering the minority Conservative government, which accuses opposition legislators of being soft on terror.
One provision allows police to arrest people suspected of planning an imminent terrorist attack and hold them for three days without charge. The second provides for investigative hearings in which a judge can compel witnesses to testify about alleged terrorist activities.
The measures were introduced by the then-Liberal government after the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide attacks on the United States. In a bid to allay fears over human rights, Ottawa agreed the provisions would expire after five years.
The measures run out on March 1 and can only be extended by a vote in the House of Commons, where the Conservative government controls just 125 of the 308 seats.
The three opposition parties say they will vote against the measures because they have never been used and therefore are no longer needed. The vote will take place at about 5:45 p.m. Eastern Time (2245 GMT).
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose Conservatives won power in January 2006 on a platform that promised to crack down on crime, says the Liberals are soft on terror and cannot be trusted to keep Canadians safe.
"That is an irresponsible and dangerous action and the Liberal Party should change course," he told Parliament last Thursday. The Liberals will be the main threat to Harper in elections which some political observers expect this year.
Liberal leader Stephane Dion rejects the charge, saying Harper is using fears of terrorism and crime in a bid to win votes.
"Soft on terrorism? That's awful. It will not stop me from finding the best solutions. I will not be intimidated by these bullying strategies," he told Reuters in an interview late on Monday.
"I know very well how important it is to protect Canadians against terrorism ... I came to the conclusion with my caucus that the two provisions we are speaking about are not helpful and represent a risk to individual rights."
Not all Liberals back the stance of Dion, who has ordered his legislators to vote against the measures. Former justice minister Irwin Cotler said he would abstain.
"The fact that they've not been used means that they've not been abused, but they may still be needed and therefore should be extended," he told CBC television on Tuesday.
Some government officials suggested a compromise on Monday whereby the measures would be extended by six months to give a special parliamentary committee time to review the matter further. Dion said the offer had been made far too late.
A vote against the two provisions would be the second time in a week that elements of Canada's anti-terror legislation have been eliminated.
Last Friday, the Supreme Court struck down a law that allowed foreign suspects to be detained indefinitely without trial on the basis of secret evidence.
"Now we see that a nation can regain its senses after calm reflection and begin to rein back such excesses," the New York Times said in its main editorial on Tuesday, calling on the administration of President George W. Bush to take similar steps in the United States.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Internal disagreement on whether to keep or toss the recent anti-terror measures.
http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,11965-7007787,00.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Canada Set To Kill Anti-Terror Measures</b>
28/02/2007 07:19 AM
David Ljunggren
Canada's Parliament is set to scrap two contentious anti-terror measures on Tuesday, angering the minority Conservative government, which accuses opposition legislators of being soft on terror.
One provision allows police to arrest people suspected of planning an imminent terrorist attack and hold them for three days without charge. The second provides for investigative hearings in which a judge can compel witnesses to testify about alleged terrorist activities.
The measures were introduced by the then-Liberal government after the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide attacks on the United States. In a bid to allay fears over human rights, Ottawa agreed the provisions would expire after five years.
The measures run out on March 1 and can only be extended by a vote in the House of Commons, where the Conservative government controls just 125 of the 308 seats.
The three opposition parties say they will vote against the measures because they have never been used and therefore are no longer needed. The vote will take place at about 5:45 p.m. Eastern Time (2245 GMT).
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose Conservatives won power in January 2006 on a platform that promised to crack down on crime, says the Liberals are soft on terror and cannot be trusted to keep Canadians safe.
"That is an irresponsible and dangerous action and the Liberal Party should change course," he told Parliament last Thursday. The Liberals will be the main threat to Harper in elections which some political observers expect this year.
Liberal leader Stephane Dion rejects the charge, saying Harper is using fears of terrorism and crime in a bid to win votes.
"Soft on terrorism? That's awful. It will not stop me from finding the best solutions. I will not be intimidated by these bullying strategies," he told Reuters in an interview late on Monday.
"I know very well how important it is to protect Canadians against terrorism ... I came to the conclusion with my caucus that the two provisions we are speaking about are not helpful and represent a risk to individual rights."
Not all Liberals back the stance of Dion, who has ordered his legislators to vote against the measures. Former justice minister Irwin Cotler said he would abstain.
"The fact that they've not been used means that they've not been abused, but they may still be needed and therefore should be extended," he told CBC television on Tuesday.
Some government officials suggested a compromise on Monday whereby the measures would be extended by six months to give a special parliamentary committee time to review the matter further. Dion said the offer had been made far too late.
A vote against the two provisions would be the second time in a week that elements of Canada's anti-terror legislation have been eliminated.
Last Friday, the Supreme Court struck down a law that allowed foreign suspects to be detained indefinitely without trial on the basis of secret evidence.
"Now we see that a nation can regain its senses after calm reflection and begin to rein back such excesses," the New York Times said in its main editorial on Tuesday, calling on the administration of President George W. Bush to take similar steps in the United States.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->