OTTAWA, October 21, 2004 – The Honourable Paul Macklin, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Irwin Cotler, today tabled in Parliament the Attorney General of Canada's annual report on the Anti-terrorism Act.

The Attorney General of Canada is required to report annually to Parliament on the use of two provisions of the Act dealing with investigative hearings and recognizance with conditions. Neither provision was used by the federal government during the one-year reporting period ending December 23, 2003.

“Canadians can be assured that the government is taking timely action against the threat of terrorism while at the same time ensuring that rights and freedoms are preserved,” said Mr. Macklin. “The review and reporting requirements built into the Act ensure that the fundamental liberties of Canadians are upheld as we combat terrorism at home and abroad.”

The recognizance with conditions provision allows a peace officer to bring a person before a judge to impose restrictions on the person's activities, if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that such restrictions are necessary to prevent a terrorist act. Under the investigative hearing provision, a judge may order the examination of a person who is believed to have information related to terrorist activity. Both provisions require the consent of the Attorney General before they can be used.

Following the events of September 11, 2001 , the Government of Canada introduced its Anti-terrorism Plan designed specifically to ensure the safety and protection of Canadians. The Plan has four objectives: stopping terrorists from getting into Canada and protecting Canadians from terrorist acts; enhancing tools to identify, prosecute, convict and punish terrorists; preventing the Canada-U.S. border from being held hostage by terrorists and impacting on the Canadian economy; and working with the international community to bring terrorists to justice and to address the root causes of hatred.

“These provisions are necessary preventive measures that allow us to remain vigilant to an ongoing threat to the security of our democracy and fundamental human rights,” said Justice Minister Cotler. “There is no contradiction between the protection of security and the protection of human rights. Security is a necessary condition for liberty and the Anti-terrorism Act achieves balance between the two.”

Parliament is expected to launch a statutory review of the Act during the fall sitting.

For more information on the Anti-terrorism Act , go to: http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/anti_terr/

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Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

Media Relations Office
Department of Justice Canada
(613) 957-4207