CSIS is wrong

It seems CSIS had been taping private calls between a terrorist suspect and his lawyers.

The Globe story sets out the facts:

"Canada's spy agency is taping conversations between men held as terrorism suspects and their defence lawyers, according to a Federal Court Judge, who suggests state agents cease such wiretaps and delete the tapes. "

Now, even though I am a lawyer, I don't necessarily see that every minor infringement of legal privilege means a fascist state arrives Tuesday. And certainly this particular infringement does not mean the end of liberty in Canada.

But ...

It is a non-trivial matter.

The worst murderers are given the right to speak openly and freely with a lawyer confident that nothing they tell the lawyer will ever be used against them or even known to others. Without that liberty an accused will not tell their lawyer what really happened and proper legal advise cannot be given.

The accused here is entitled to have confidential discussions with his lawyer. CSIS is wrong and the lawyers' outrage is just.
James Morton
1100 - 5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4