Montreal, 10 December - The new security certificate law, Bill C-3 is expected to reach final vote in Parliament as early as tomorrow, Tuesday 11 December. The bill has been forced through parliament at record speed, with no time for debate, despite widespread public opposition. The Canadian Bar Association has stated that the draft law will not even pass a constitutional test. The new law will continue to rely on secret hearings, broad and undefined allegations, a low standard of proof, and hearsay and other unreliable information. In brief, it will maintain a two-tiered system of justice in which certain people in Canada can be locked up indefinitely on the basis of secret suspicions and under threat of deportation to torture.

The Bloc and NDP have announced that they will vote against C-3 at final reading, while the Liberals have announced that they will support the Conservatives. However, at second vote, around 25 Liberals were absent, including Stéphane Dion, Irwin Cotler and other Montreal-area MPs (full list), while two voted against.

New backgrounder on Bill C-3 ("Spin, Lies and Déjà vu").

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Media contact: 514 222 0205

Source:
Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui
www.adilinfo.org
justiceforadil@riseup.net