Normalizing Exceptional Practices: Security Certificates, Disclosure and Use of Evidence, and Administrative Detention

• Author: Marlys Edwardh & Adriel Weaver
• Pages: 254-292



NormalizingExceptionalPractices

SECURITYCERTIFICATES

DISCLOSUREANDUSEOFEVIDENCE

ANDADMINISTRATIVEDETENTION

Marlys Edwardh & Adriel Weaver*

A. INTRODUCTION

Thischapterexplorestherelationshipbetweenanextraordinarynational

securityandcounterterrorismmeasurenamelytheuseofsecuritycer

ticatesandestablishedcriminallawprinciplesandcarceralpractices

In Part Bwe exam ine issues surroundi ng the disclosure and use

ofev idencearg uing that the courts pa rtial reject iona nd subsequent

interpretationofcertainaspectsofthesecuritycerticateschemehave

signicantly normalized secu rity certicate proceedings  that is

madethemincreasinglysubjecttolegalandconstitutionalnormsOur

contentionhereisnotthatsecuritycerticateshavebeenrendereden

tirelyunexceptionalorindeedentirelyunexceptionablebutsimplythat

they have been normalized to a sucient degree t hat they no longer

representamorearactiveorexpedientmethodofproceedingagainst

individualsbelievedtobetiedtoterroristorganizationsoractivities

InPartCweturntotheissueofdetentionfocusingontheimple

mentation of the detention provisions of the Immigration and Refugee

Protection Act asadoptedinWesuggestthatwhatappearstobe

anexceptionalregimeofadministrativedetentioninpracticerelieson

and reects established correct ional practices particularly the use of

administrative segregation Although itself a h ighly exceptional prac

 GoldblaPartnersLLP

Normalizing Exceptional Practices

ticeofpreventiveandindenitedetentionadministrativesegregation

hasbeennormalizedinaverydierentsensethatismadeordin

aryandcommonplaceinbothfederalandprovincialcorrectionsWe

examinevariouseortstomakeadministrativesegregationsubjectto

independentrigorousandprocedurallyfairreviewincludingmostre

centlytwoconstitutionalchallengestothelawandpracticeofadminis

trativesegregationinfederalcorrectionalinstitutions

Weconcludethatthehistoryofsecuritycerticatesandadminis

trative segregation strongly underscores the importance of the cou rts

indiscipliningexceptionallawsandpracticesandmakingthemmore

subjecttolegalandconstitutionalnorms

B.SECURITY CERTIFICATES AND THE

DISCLOSUREANDUSEOFEVIDENCE

 OverviewandHistory

Asecuritycerticateiseectivelyadeclarationbytheministerofpublic

safetyandemergencypreparednesstheministerandtheminister

ofcitizenshipandimmigrationthatapermanentresidentorforeignna

tionalisinadmissibleonsecuritygroundsfor

a engaginginanactofespionageoranactofsubversionagainsta

democraticgovernmentinstitutionorprocessastheyareunder

stoodinCanada

b engaginginorinstigatingthesubversionbyforceofanygovernment

c engaginginterrorism

d beingadangertothesecurityofCanada

e engaging i n acts of violence that would or might endanger the

livesorsafetyofpersonsinCanadaor

f bei ng a member of an organization that there are r easonable

groundstobelieveengageshasengagedorwillengageinacts

referredtoinparagraphaborc

InpracticethesecuritycerticateprocessbeginswhentheCanadian

SecurityIntelligenceServiceCSISortheServicepresentsthemin

isters with a Securit y Intelligence Report seing out the allegations

againsttheindividualandtheinformationandevidencereliedonbythe

ServiceinassessingthatindividualtobeinadmissibletoCanadaIfthe

 Immigration and Refugee Protection ActSCcasamendedsIRPA

MEAW

ministersconcludethattheinformationprovidedestablishesreasonable

groundstobelievetheallegationstheyissueasecuritycerticate

Onceacerticateisissueditisreferredtoadesignatedjudgeofthe

FederalCourttodeterminewhetheritisreasonableNotablythebases

forasecuritycerticatearedisjunctiveandthefactsthatconstitutein

admissibilityincludefactsarisingfromomissionsandfactsforwhich

therearereasonablegroundstobelievethattheyhaveoccurredare

occurringormayoccurIneectthereforethetaskofthereviewing

judgeistodeterminewhethertherearereasonablegroundstobelieve

thatthepersonnamedinthecerticatethenamedpersonhasen

gagedisengagingorwillengageinoneoftheproscribedactsorwas

isorwillbeadangertothesecurityofCanadaoramemberofanor

ganizationtherearereasonablegroundstobelievehasengagedisen

gagingorwillengageinespionagesubversionorterrorism

Thejudgemayreceiveintoevidenceandbasethatdeterminationon

anythingthatinhisorheropinionisreliableandappropriateevenifit

wouldbeinadmissibleinacourtoflawThejudgeisrequiredtoensure

thecondentialityoftheinformationonwhichthecerticateisbased

denedassecurityorcriminalintelligenceinformationandinfor

mation that is obtained in con dencefrom a sou rce in Canada from

thegovernmentofaforeignstatefromaninternationalorganizationof

statesorfromaninstitutionofeitherofthemaswellasanyother

evidencethatmaybeprovidedifinhisorheropinionitsdisclosure

wouldbe i njurious to national secur ityThe judge may on his or her

ownmotionandshallattherequestoftheministerhearallorpartof

theinformationorevidenceintheabsenceofthepersonnamedinthe

certicateandtheircounselifintheopinionofthejudgeitsdisclosure

wouldbeinjurioustonationalsecurityortothesafetyofanyperson

Thejudgeisalsorequiredtoensurethatthenamedpersonisprovided

throughouttheproceedingwithasummaryofinformationandother

evidencethatenableshimorhertobereasonablyinformedofthecase

 OneofthesameselectgroupofjudgesstatutorilyempoweredtohearCSISwar

rantapplicationsCanadian Security Intelligence Service ActRSCcCss

CSIS Actmakepublicinterestimmunitydeterminationsinvariousproceedings

includingcriminaltrialsCanada Evidence ActRSCcCsseealsoR v

AhmadSCCandreviewdecisionsoftheministerofpublicsafetyandemer

gencypreparednessonapplicationsfordelistingofentitiesidentiedasterrorist

groupsCriminal CodeRSCcCasamendedss

 IRPAabovenotes

 Ibidsh

 Ibids

 Ibidsc