FACE TO FACE: Should Canada bring back its post-9/11 anti-terrorism laws?
Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants to re-introduce Canada's anti terrorism law, which expands police powers, allowing them to detain suspected terrorists without charge for 72 hours and giving them the authority to force testimony from anyone at an investigative hearing.
The Civil and Charter of Rights dangers of this law are considerable and are alone enough to warrant our vigourous opposition to it. It's not very Canadian - at least what we defined as Canadian before Mr. Harper took over as PM.
I must confess, however, that it is this law's part in this definition of Canadianism that worries me more than does the inevitable time when a police force abuses this law by detaining a few political protesters or other dubious terrorists.
Re-introducing this law is the latest in a series of steps Harper has taken to move Canada toward supporting and emulating U.S. style foreign policy. Some other steps are: the F-35 bomber purchase, Mr. Harper's personal support for the Iraq War, the unquestioned deporting of U.S. war resistors living in Canada, aggressively siding with Israel and the increasing use of Americanisms such as "cut and run," "the war on terror," "support our troops" and "God Bless Canada" in his rhetoric.
These steps tell the world that Canada no longer defends international solutions. They say that Canada not only supports, but will fight alongside, the U.S. in international disputes.
Majority in hand and under the cover of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Prime Minister Harper suggests that this law - never once used, and expired since 2007 - is now crucial to defending us from what he calls Canada's biggest threat: Islamic terrorism.
I'm sorry but I cannot help but feel that despite Mr. Harper's concern, Toronto's CN Tower, Montreal's Olympic Stadium, Vancouver's Rogers Arena and the PNE are in little danger from Islamic jihadists. We haven't done anything to make them angry. We haven't invaded them or bombed their countries or called them names like "axes of evil." We didn't participate in the Iraq war and we have, until recently, maintained an international outlook.
The only way Canada will be in danger from Islamic terrorism is if the PM continues to move Canada away from our traditional international perspective and toward a partisan embrace of the American war on terror.
Face to Face columnist Jim Nelson is a retired Tri-City teacher and principal who lives in Port Moody. He has contributed a number of columns on education-related issues to The Tri-City News.