the times, they are a-changin'

"The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down the security certificate system used by the federal government to detain and deport foreign-born terrorist suspects.
In a 9-0 judgment handed down Friday, the court found that the system, described by the government as a key tool for safeguarding national security, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms." - cbcnews.ca

As much as I'm glad about this ruling, I'm also angered by the fact that it took so long. Over the years, we've heard many stories of people who have been detained on the basis of these "security certificates", and kept in legal imbo in prisons near and far. Many are shipped to foreign countries where torture is common practice, such as the case for Maher Arar, who was imprisoned in Syria.

The ruling isn't a magic bullet what is, really), as it has no legal effect until a year from now, in order to give Parliament time to write a new law that would respect constitutional values (part of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act). It still remains unclear whether the men charged currently (there are five total who are connected to this particular case) will be released or kept in jail during this time. Three of the men are currently held in an immigration facility in Kingston, which has the lovely nickname of "Guantanamo Bay of the North".

Makes you proud to be Canadian, eh?