National Security Consultations

Input from the Consultations will be used by the government to inform the development of laws, policies and programs to ensure that the National Security Framework is effective in keeping Canada safe, consistent with societal values and aligned with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [...] It is important to note, therefore, that public opinion research in Canada and elsewhere has shown a consistent decline over several years in the level of trust people have in a range of institutions, including the military, police, politicians, the media and the judiciary, all of which are relevant to the issues covered by the Consultations. [...] As such, there was a consensus, including among organizations and experts, that law enforcement and national security agencies should act in accordance with the law and respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, whether in the physical or the digital world. [...] Criminal Code Terrorism Measures A majority of Consultation participants expressed concerns about amendments made to the Criminal Code in response to the introduction of the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, particularly the risk that these amendments could lead to a loss of personal liberties and infringe on freedom of expression. [...] Many also questioned whether the advocacy offence is necessary given that “counselling” is already a terrorism offence under the Criminal Code and called for the repeal of sections of ATA, 2015 dealing with the seizure and deletion of “terrorist propaganda.” Roughly one third (32%) of online responses do not see the need to change the protections given to witnesses and other people in the justice