The kick-off of Adil's tour across the country was a big success. Adil flew to Halifax on May 31st, returning to Montreal from Fredericton on June 3rd.

Halifax

Upon arriving on the East Coast, Adil was welcomed at a potluck at the Saint Andrew's Rec Centre by members of the Muslim community and local allies.

On Monday morning we met Adil in front of the Citizenship and Immigration offices to draw media attention to the issue and take some photos to mark the beginning of the tour.

We then had the chance to spend the day exploring cafes and parks in Halifax. It was amazing to walk the shores of the Atlantic Ocean with Adil, since he grew up by the sea but has been unable to travel outside of Montreal for years. Unfortunately, the ocean in Nova Scotia is a lot colder than it is in Morocco so we weren't able to swim!

After dinner, we headed to the Dalhousie University Law Building for a well-attended public event organized by NSPIRG and the Halifax Peace Coalition. The event started off with a poignant theatre performance by the Halifax Theatre Collective that shed light on the grim reality of security certificates and Adil's unjust treatment at the hands of the Canadian government. Adil then spoke about his personal experience in a very informative and accessible way, and there was a lively discussion period that lasted till we had to leave the room.

We're thankful we had the opportunity to host Adil and hear him speak, and we will continue to organize in solidarity in Halifax.

Fredericton

Adil Charkaoui arrived in Fredericton on Tuesday, June 2. He had dinner with members of the Fredericton Peace Coalition and friends. Adil's public lecture at Renaissance College began at 7:00 pm. Dave Steele, who introduced Adil, opened with news that the N.B. Federation of Labour had just passed a resolution condemning security certificates at their convention. Adil told his story to a crowd of approximately 30 people. The audience was clearly moved by Adil's story and took postcards to send to their MPs. T-shirts were sold and materials were taken from the table. Adil's talk was recorded for the campus radio station CHSR. Earlier in the day, Adil did an interview on the local CBC morning show.

On Wednesday, June 3, Adil began the day with a presentation in Marc Gionet's human rights course at St. Thomas University. A brown bag luncheon with professors was then arranged by criminology professor Josephine Savarese. After lunch, Adil gave a presentation in Professor Robin Vose's history class before heading to the airport mid-afternoon.

• Article on Fredericton classroom talk