Canada's Anti-Terror

From Canada.com:
"Anti-terror bill, at a glance"

Here are the highlights:

Spy games

Anybody who wished Canada would have its own form of the Central Intelligence Agency is closer to seeing that happen. Until now, Canada’s primary spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has been allowed only to collect and analyze information about threats to Canada, and advise the government about appropriate responses. Now, CSIS will be allowed to “disrupt” those threats, which include espionage, sabotage, terrorism and what the government calls “domestic subversion.” That could include anything from disrupting websites and social media accounts to intercepting goods and weapons. In addition, the Federal Court now will be able to compel third parties to co-operate with CSIS. An example would be having a telecommunications firm provide the spy agency with information, or blocking a website. The government says it is matching these powers with new safeguards. The threshold for disruption activities is higher than intelligence gathering, with CSIS being required to have “reasonable grounds to believe” something was a threat to Canada before disrupting the threat, as opposed to needing only “reasonable grounds to suspect” to gather intelligence. As with its existing intelligence-gathering powers, CSIS would need a warrant whenever its plan to disrupt a threat would contravene the Charter of Rights and Freedoms or Canadian law.

The spy agency will also have to keep the public safety minister informed about threat disruption activities. As well, the Security Intelligence Review Committee will examine CSIS’s performance each year in its report to Parliament.

 

Fighting the message

The proposed legislation includes significant sections devoted to fighting the spread of terrorist propaganda and the promotion of terrorist acts. Under current law, it is a crime to encourage others to commit a specific terrorism offence. However, it does not apply to those who promote a more general attack on Canada, for example, because no specific offence is singled out. The government is seeking to change that by creating a new offence, punishable by up to five years in prison, to simply promote terrorism, including attacks on Canadians. This would apply to those who knowingly advocate or promote terrorism. The government is comparing this to existing genocide laws. Courts will also be able to seize terrorist propaganda or remove it from the Internet. Such items would include material that promotes or encourages acts of terrorism against Canadians in general or the commission of a specific attack against Canadians. The government is comparing this to existing child pornography and hate crime provisions. As is currently the case for hate propaganda, the attorney general would have to agree to issuing such a warrant to ensure protection of freedom of speech and other matters of public interest.

 

Easier to make preventive arrests

The government is making it easier for police to obtain a warrant to detain someone by reducing the threshold from suspicion that a terrorism offence “will be” carried out to suspicion that a terrorism offence “may be” carried out. It will also be easier to hold suspects for up to seven days if it’s believed doing so “is likely” to prevent the carrying out of a terrorist activity, as opposed to being “necessary” to prevent a terrorist activity. Judges will also be able to require a person to surrender his or her passport, and impose extra reporting requirements or electronic monitoring. The maximum penalties for violating court-ordered conditions will increase to four years from two.

 

No-Fly list

The legislation would expand the no-fly list to prevent Canadians from heading overseas to join terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Introduced in 2007, the list has until now applied only to those suspected of being a threat to the airplane they were boarding. The government says it is also strengthening the way the no-fly list is managed, including establishing a process for people to get their names off the list and processes for sharing information with domestic and foreign partners.

^  It's always good to understand your country and how the different agencies/ministries work and what the new laws and rules are. This summary helps you do that. ^

http://www.canada.com/News/politics/Anti+terror+bill+glance/10774286/story.html