Editor's Notes Special Edition Autumn 2013
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the best traditions of Canadian journalism
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Clifton Nicholas of Kanesatake hits the bulls eye
when he declines to take bait offered by the CSIS
and then rejects the bullying character assassination
A First Nation's recent refusal to "have coffee" with an agent of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was an act of courage and wisdom.
In 1984, the Federal Government of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, against a background of exposed dirty tricks by the Security Service of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), passed an Act of Parliament that removed security intelligence activities from the RCMP and established the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Unfortunately, the CSIS picked up too many bad habits of its predecessor.
It is conventional wisdom that any bureaucracy that exists in a shroud of secrecy is not to be trusted.
The best protection against CSIS bullying, involving any coercive prompting that is contrary to our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is to go public. Write your member of parliament and the prime minister, and a letter to the editor. In today's world, and given the apparent disinterest of all of the former, the best bet is to go public in the way that Mr. Nicholas did.
The CSIS, like the RCMP SS, studies and practices character assassination and systematic psychological torture entirely contrary to the letter and spirit of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If you are subject to this behaviour, don’t be cowed, stand up and make your outrage known. Keep firmly in mind that we live in a democracy. Bullies only have the authority that we allow them.
We live in a great country. We should not allow our liberties to be taken away from us by those who commit crimes against humanity in the name of democracy.
Meanwhile, take it easy, but take it.
Looking forward.