From: Eugene Harasymiw [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 9:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: "Big Mountie is Watching" - March 28, 2002

Dear Editor:

It is interesting to contrast Alan Borovoy's critique of Bill C-35 with his refusal to apply exactly the same standards to other federal legislation. The government's denaturalization and deportation policy, with us since 1995, has failed to elicit Mr. Borovoy's condemnation on a number of parallel points. When he states "the decision to keep people out of publicly accessible areas involves more than security considerations," it makes you wonder why the decision to strip people of their citizenship and run them out of the country should not involve more than political considerations.

When he states that "we must recognize that [RCMP] interests must be balanced against others," then why should we not similarly recognize that the interests of ruling politicians must be balanced against those of (falsely, as it turns out) accused?

Although Mr. Borovoy is right to state that because "interpretations made by cabinet ministers will appear to be more influenced by what is popular than by what is right" and that ultimate adjudication between competing interests "should be required by the courts," it is hypocritical to deny these observations equally to the denaturalization and deportation process. According to Mr. Borovoy, "by giving the police this kind of power [Bill C-35], the government denigrates the importance of our fundamental freedoms." Too bad he and (apparently) the CCLA neglect to apply these same standards to the victims of what has become Canada's shameful two-tiered citizenship inquisition.

Eugene Harasymiw, LL.B.
Chair, Civil Liberties Committee
Alberta Ukrainian Self-Reliance League
Edmonton, AB