Prof. Kent Roach and University of Ottawa law professor Craig Forcese are engaging in an experiment in legal scholarship done in “real time” in a highly politicized environment, in which fundamental decisions about the shape of law are being made.
They are undertaking an ongoing analysis of Bill C-51, the government’s controversial anti-terror law proposal, which began immediately after the bill was proposed and is proceeding as the bill works its way through Parliament.
Their in-depth analysis can be found on their website, antiterrorlaw.ca. The site makes available the drafts of the chapters of the book they will be publishing on this issue, with the goal of getting feedback from legal scholars and creating a response to the bill that is "crowdsourced" from Canada's legal community.
In addition to this in-depth analysis, they have published a series of commentaries in the national media focusing on specific aspects of the proposed law.
An overview of their work can be found in their artice in The Walrus magazine, "Bill C-51: the Good, the Bad . . . and the Truly Ugly," (February 13, 2015).
They have also published the following commentaries in newspapers (links go to the version on this website unless otherwise noted):
- "Why Can’t Canada Get National-Security Law Right?" June 9, 2015, The Walrus
- "The Real Agenda behind Bill C-51," April 15, 2015, The Walrus
- "The government has not made its case for C-51," March 30, 2015, The Globe and Mail
- "Will Bill C-51 protect or imperil Canadians?" March 12, 2015, The Globe and Mail
- "Canada’s Antiterror Gamble," March 11, 2015, New York Times
- "A parliamentary review is not redundant red tape," March 9, 2015, National Post
- "We need to have an adult conversation about security," February 20, 2015, National Newswatch
- "Des odeurs d'octobre 70," February 18, 2015, La Presse (on La Presse website)
- "Bill C-51 moves us one step closer to the end of privacy," February 17, 2015, Toronto Star
- "France shows West the smart way to fight IS at home," February 13, 2015, The Globe and Mail
- "The government’s new speech crime could undermine its anti-terror strategy," February 10, 2015, National Post
- "How Ottawa’s new terrorism act could chill free speech," February 5, 2015, The Globe and Mail
- "Red, yellow lights for security measures," January 30, 2015, The Globe and Mail
See also other features about their work (links go to source website):
- "Meet the professors behind the swift assault on C-51," March 3, 2015, Maclean's
- Interview with Prof. Kent Roach on CBC Radio's The Current, "Critics warn Bill C-51 not receiving the scrutiny it needs," February 23, 2015
- "Anti-terror bill would widen powers for Canadian border guards," February 23, 2015, The Globe and Mail
- "Profs say anti-terror CSIS ‘disruption’ campaigns not properly outlined," February 13, 2015, The Globe and Mail
- Interview with Prof. Roach on Radio Canada International: "New security bill too broad, chilling, say experts," February 16, 2015.
