Liberals urged to rethink Conserative security measures

The Liberals have promised to rewrite what they call problematic elements of Bill C-51, the omnibus security legislation ushered in by the Conservatives.

The Trudeau government has also committed to creating a special committee of parliamentarians to keep an eye on national security operations.

Groups including Amnesty International and the Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group want the Liberals to go further by implementing neglected recommendations from the inquiry into the overseas torture of Maher Arar.

They also call for apologies and compensation to three other Arab-Canadians who were tortured in Syrian prisons, as well as the repeal of measures that eroded the rights of people accused of being security threats.

OpenMedia, a group that fights to keep the Internet surveillance-free, has invited Trudeau to sit down and discuss ways to better protect the privacy of Canadians.