Canada: Show ID or Face Arrest Near G8 and G20 Summits
June 26th, 2010Via: Ottawa Citizen:
The Ontario government secretly passed legislation giving police sweeping new powers for the duration of the G8 and G20 summits.
Police are now able to jail anyone who refuses to furnish identification and submit to a search while within five metres of a designated security zone in downtown Toronto.
Critics reacted furiously to the new rules, which remained unpublicized until Thursday when a 32 year-old man was arrested in Toronto for refusing to show ID to police.
New Democrat MPP Peter Kormos said Friday the provincial Liberals created a “Kafka-esque” situation where people could be arrested for violating rules they didn’t know existed.
“This is very very repugnant stuff and should be troubling to everybody,” he said.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) said it was “extremely concerned” that the new measures violate constitutional safeguards.
Nathalie Des Rosiers, general counsel for the CCLA said the changes are contrary to Canadian law.
“You don’t have any obligation to speak to Canadian police, to give your name or the reasons for your existence unless you’ve done something wrong — unless you’re being detained or arrested,” she said. “So on its face, it’s a dramatic change from what our constitution guarantees.”
The CCLA said the government “owed it” to its citizens to inform them of the changes. The group will be in court to challenge arrests made on what it deems unconstitutional grounds.
