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Ottawa’s push to share more border-crossing data with U.S. raising red flags over privacy

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Privacy advocates say they’re alarmed by a new federal bill that would share a lot more information with the U.S. government about Canadians crossing the border. (Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)

Bill C-21 would result in the collection of data on all Canadians entering and leaving the country

John Paul Tasker · CBC News,

The Canadian government is poised to begin collecting much more information about Canadians leaving the country — a change that is triggering privacy fears because the data will be shared with the United States.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale introduced Bill C-21 more than two years ago. The bill would implement an “entry/exit program” to keep track of when individual Canadians enter and leave the country — information that wasn’t always collected in the past.

The bill quietly cleared the House last week and is awaiting Senate debate in the fall. Once enacted, it would allow the government to keep tabs on just how long someone was outside the country — information that could be used to claw back social benefits like Old Age Security (OAS), Employment Insurance (EI) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) from those who have been away too long to qualify.

The information collected under C-21 also could be used to track whether prospective citizens — permanent residents — have met strict residency requirements. The data could help the government keep tabs on high-risk travellers for national security purposes, or track down foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas.

Right now, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) only knows when someone enters Canada.

“Bill C-21 would help us not only ensure that our border with the United States is more secure but also would ensure that our immigration system and social benefit system are better equipped to perform as intended,” Goodale said during a recent debate on the bill in the House.

The government plans to use C-21 to collect what it calls “basic data” from travellers — things like name, nationality, date of birth, gender, and time and place of departure. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents will collect the data from those entering the United States by land and send it to officials in Ottawa; airlines will collect the information from those departing Canada by air.

Snowbirds will have to ‘be more mindful’

The information collected is to be shared with the U.S. government as part of a longstanding effort to “thin” the border between the two countries. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could, for example, use the information to go after Canadians who have overstayed their visas in the U.S., or reclassify some snowbirds for tax purposes.

For the more than one million Canadian seniors and retirees who head south every year, that extra level of scrutiny could be awkward.

Generally, Canadians can spend up to 182 days a year in the U.S. without having to worry about being hounded by American tax or immigration officials.

But it’s quite easy to inadvertently stay past that 182-day limit and fail the so-called “substantial presence test” the IRS uses to determine if a foreign national should be paying income tax in the U.S.

Canada: Parliament Hill was overflowing Armenian Genocide Commemoration 103

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Ottawa, Canada commemoration of Armenian Genocide 103

Ottawa, Canada commemoration of Armenian Genocide 103

Parliament Hill was overflowing with members of the Armenian community in Ottawa on Tuesday, marking the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The demonstrators commemorated the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were killed in April 1915 before marching on the Turkish embassy to seek recognition from the Turkish government.Jimmy and Phil Philipossian, father and son, stood quietly on the edge of the hill. Jimmy Philipossian, 75, said his parents were living in Adana during the Turkish takeover of the former Armenian city. When the genocide began, they escaped.

“A very close person (to them) said,” You better go fast because they are going to kill you both, “said Philipossian. “So my parents, they moved very fast at that moment to survive.”

Now, more than a century after the genocide, Philipossian said it’s important to remember. Father and son said it was a “big relief” to see the large number of people at Tuesday’s meeting.

“There was a lot of land that was lost with lives … you can not forget such a past,” he said.

But Armenians were not alone on the Hill or in front of the embassy. They were greeted by a Turkish counter-demonstration of one-third the size of the Armenian participation. They say that the killings that took place from 1915 took place in the context of the civil war and did not deserve the label of “genocide”.

For Turkish community member Kevser Taymez, the historical context is complicated, with suffering on both sides, she said. “What Armenians and Turks in Canada should do is remember our losses together,” she said. “I am here to protest that Armenians are raising their children to hate the Turks.”

Terminology is an important issue for both communities. Sevag Belian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee, prefers to use the term “gathering” to describe the annual event on the Hill.

“We do not like to call it a protest,” he said. “Canada recognized the Armenian genocide at the parliamentary level in 2002 with the resolution of the Senate, in 2004 with the House of Commons resolution, and in 2006 the government recognized the genocide.

According to Belian, the real protest only began when protesters started down Wellington Street towards the Turkish embassy.

Armenian and Turkish groups were kept apart all afternoon by police barriers. They marched three kilometers to the embassy in separate intervals. Nearly 700 members of the Armenian community were surrounded by some 300 Turkish members of MacDonald Gardens, across from the embassy.

Canada Saskatchewan Bus crash: 14 killed as junior hockey team’s bus and lorry collide

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Canada Saskatchewan Bus crash

Canada Saskatchewan Bus crash

Police in Canada have confirmed that 14 people were killed when a lorry and a bus carrying a junior ice hockey team collided on Friday evening, BBC reported.  According to the source, the Humboldt Broncos were travelling on Highway 35, north of Tisdale in the province of Saskatchewan.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 28 people were on the bus, 14 of whom were killed, including the driver.
The other 14 aboard the bus have been taken to hospital. Three are in critical condition.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote: “I cannot imagine what these parents are going through.”

MP urges Canada to help end rights abuses against Karabakh people

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Canadian lawmaker Tony Clement delivered remarks at the House of Commons on Monday, December 11, concerning International Human Rights Day with particular attention to violations he witnessed in his recent trip to Artsakh.

“While of course there are numerous examples of human rights abuses that need to be highlighted, I would like to emphasize the current human rights situation in the Republic of Artsakh or Nagorno Karabakh,” Clement said.

“I travelled to the region this summer with One Free World International and observed first-hand the conflict there, and the horrific human rights abuses inflicted upon people who ultimately only wish to live in peace.

According to the lawmaker, he met with mothers who have lost sons, servicemen, and other in the conflict.

“I was on the site of some scenes of unspeakable horrors.

“I have hope for a peaceful and prosperous Artsakh, where people can live side by side with their neighbors, including Azerbaijan.

“The Artsakh conflict is currently mediated through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,of which Canada is a full member.

“I urge the government to condemn human rights abuses in the region and work to deter further escalation of the conflict.”

Canada: Trudeau sorry for ‘historic wrong’ against Canadians ‘Cultural genocide’

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The prime minister has apologized to First Nations people in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador for abuse at assimilation-oriented schools. The system of boarding schools operated until 1980.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a sweeping apology on Friday to the indigenous people of Newfoundland and Labrador province for abuses suffered at assimilation-focused boarding schools throughout the 20th century.

“We are here today to acknowledge an historic wrong,” a visibly emotional Trudeau said, asking forgiveness for the “physical, psychological and sexual abuse,” that occurred at the five schools in the province which only shut their doors in 1980.

“These are the hard truths of Canada’s history.”

Trudeau’s apology came as the government settles a class-action lawsuit brought by about 900 former pupils of the schools, many of whom were forcibly removed from their communities and isolated from their families in an attempt to force assimilation with mainstream culture.

According to The New York Times, the plaintiffs were awarded 50 million Canadian dollars in compensation.

At the ceremony in Happy Valley-Goose Bay with Trudeau was Tony Obed, a former student of the boarding schools and the leading force behind the lawsuit. Obed, who has spoken openly about sexual assault at his former school, accepted the apology from the Canadian government.

‘Cultural genocide’

Assimilation boarding schools were common in the United States and Canada throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, with some in Canada enduring until as late as 1996. In Canada, many of the schools were run by the federal government, and sometimes by missionaries and charity groups.

While former Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a large apology for the network of schools in 2008, Newfoundland and Labrador was left out due to the fact that it wasn’t a province of Canada until 1949.

A truth and reconciliation commission that followed Harper’s 2008 apology found that the injustices perpetrated by the boarding schools amounted to “cultural genocide.”

Although recent Canadian administrations have made efforts to right historic wrongs against indigenous or First Nations people, inequality remains rampant. A study by the think tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives published in 2016 found that 60 percent of aboriginal children on reserves lived in poverty, and that First Nations women were significantly statistically overrepresented murder victims in Canada.

Armenian defense minister’s delegation completes Canada visit

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On the last day of its working visit in Canada, the Armenian delegation led by Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan was hosted at the AGBU Alex Manoogian School in Montreal.

According to the ministry’s press service, the defense minister was welcomed by the School students, who presented their letter addressed to Armenian soldiers. The kids also performed a small concert at the hall of the School.

Minister Sargsyan noted during his visits to other states he always attached importance to the meetings at Armenian schools, since they play a key role in preserving the Armenian identity.

“Our country is a country with a limited territory and not a very large population. However, our people are bearers of an incomparably greater heritage. Our struggle, the meaning of our existence cannot be limited to our country’s territory, borders or population. We are the bearers of the heritage the creators of which were dreaming about statehood. Today, when we have a state, we should do our best so that Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora can together fulfil our centuries-old dreams,” the Armenian official said.

Afterwards, the Armenia delegation visited the Sourp Hagop Armenian School of Montreal and toured the school. Vigen Sargsyan left a note in the school’s honorary guest book.

At the end of the visit in Canada, the Armenian delegation paid tribute to the memory of the Armenia Genocide victims in Montreal.

Canada celebrates 150 with concerts, royals

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Canada – the home of hockey, maple syrup and a selfie-prone prime minister – has marked its 150th birthday with concerts and citizenship ceremonies. But a history of indigenous mistreatment meant not everyone celebrated.

Despite heavy rain, Canadians turned out across the country to mark the country’s 150th birthday with outdoor concerts, citizenship ceremonies and a royal visit by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off the celebrations in the capital, Ottawa, speaking in front of the thousands of revelers on Parliament Hill.

“Canada is a country made strong not in spite of our differences but because of them,” Trudeau said. “We don’t aspire to be a melting pot – indeed, we know true strength and resilience flows through Canadian diversity.”

Indigenous protests

The anniversary was not without controversy, particularly among First Nations who noted Canada’s history of mistreatment of indigenous people.

On Thursday, activists erected a teepee on Parliament Hill on Thursday in protest, and on Saturday indigenous protesters marched through the streets of Toronto, some holding the Canadian national flag upside down.

Trudeau met with the activists in Ottawa on Friday.

Saturday was the 150th anniversary of the founding of the self-governing state. On July 1, 1867, the British North America Act united the British provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario into the Dominion of Canada.

A CBC/Radio-Canada investigation has found cell phone trackers at work near Parliament Hill and embassies

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ESD America’s CryptoPhone – purchased by CBC and Radio-Canada – can detect when an IMSI catcher is trying to intercept it. (CBC )

By Catherine Cullen, Brigitte Bureau, CBC News

A months-long CBC News/Radio-Canada investigation has revealed that someone is using devices that track and spy on cellphones in the area around Parliament Hill.

The devices are known as IMSI catchers and have been used by Canadian police and security authorities, foreign intelligence and even organized crime.

The devices, sometimes known by the brand name of one model, StingRay, work by mimicking a cellphone tower to interact with nearby phones and read the unique ID associated with the phone — the International Mobile Subscriber Identity, or IMSI.

That number can then be used to track the phone and by extension the phone’s user. In some instances, IMSI catchers can even be used to gain access to a phone’s text messages and listen in on calls.

At the heart of Canadian government

To do the investigation, our journalists used a device that detects IMSI catchers created by the German company GSMK. While it looks like a regular cellphone, the CryptoPhone emits an alert when a fake cellphone antenna intercepts its signal.

Media in the United States, Norway and Australia have done similar tests, but this is the first time it’s been used by a media outlet in Canada.

During tests in December and January, the CryptoPhone set off alerts at locations around Parliament Hill, including the nearby Byward Market, the Rideau Centre shopping mall and CBC offices in downtown Ottawa.

Because IMSI catchers have a radius of about half a kilometre in an urban setting, the IMSI catchers CBC detected could reach territory including Parliament Hill, the Prime Minister’s Office in Langevin Block, National Defence headquarters, as well as the U.S. and Israeli embassies.

We then used even more sophisticated equipment called an Overwatch Sensor that confirmed the presence of an IMSI catcher close to Parliament Hill.

Who is behind it?

We wanted to know more about who might be using the IMSI catcher or catchers that we detected, so we asked the U.S. supplier of the CryptoPhone to analyze the alerts we were getting.

ESD America specializes in counterintelligence and its clients include U.S. Homeland Security.

“Consistently you’ve been seeing IMSI catcher activity, definitely,” said CEO and co-founder Les Goldsmith, when we took our results to the company’s Las Vegas office.

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/imsi-cellphones-spying-ottawa-1.4050049?cid=

EU parliament approves trade deal with Canada

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The European Union parliament has voted in favour of a landmark trade deal with Canada.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is designed to unite the markets of 35 million Canadians with 500 million Europeans.

Ratification by the European Union parliament, with a 408-254 vote, now paves the way for the agreement to come into force on a provisional basis, meaning over 90 per cent of it could be put into practice within months, while the rest must be ratified by individual EU member countries.

A Muslim man with a bag and a bike snuck across the U.S. border into Canada. This is his story

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desperate-JourneyDesperate journey In the dead of winter, a Muslim man with a backpack and a bike snuck across the U.S. border into Canada. This is his story.

By Mark Gollom

February 9, 2017

‘Everything was hurting so bad’

(CBC Canada) The biting cold, the tired limbs, the feelings of despair — all those memories came flooding back to Habib Zahori as he read the story of two Ghanaian men who recently risked their lives to sneak into Canada.

They had trudged for hours through waist-deep snowfields in -18 C temperatures until they reached an unguarded border. Cold and disoriented, they managed to slip across, but it was several hours before they were able to flag down a truck driver, who called 911.

Both ended up losing fingers due to severe frostbite. According to one of the men, if it hadn’t been for that driver, “we would have died in that snow.”

Zahori knows that sense of desperation. Just over a year ago, he made a similarly treacherous winter journey through the woods and across the border — partly by foot, partly by bicycle.

“My fingers had gone numb,” Zahori recalls. “My nose, my cheeks, my lips, my entire face — everything had gone numb. And my thighs and knees, everything was hurting so bad. And I was tired, and I was thirsty.”

What makes these dramatic tales so strange is that these men weren’t coming from a country ravaged by war, civil strife, famine or disease.

They were fleeing the United States.

Zahori and the others had first landed there after escaping troubles in their home countries. But they ended up illegally crossing the world’s largest undefended border in the hopes that Canada would provide the refuge they sought.

These dangerous hikes into Canada seem to be spiking.

Some may find that a peculiar scenario – refugee claimants fleeing a country with one of the highest standards of living in the world and one that likes to cast itself as a beacon of freedom.

But concerns about the political climate and just how welcoming the U.S. will be to refugees under the Trump administration has prompted many to consider going north — even if it means illegally.

And these dangerous hikes into Canada seem to be spiking, at least in some parts of the border.

The sparsely populated stretch of the border that separates the town of Emerson, Man., and its surroundings from neighbouring North Dakota has become a magnet for those seeking to claim refugee status and may be a gauge of the size of the problem. In recent weeks, dozens more have crossed the porous border.

According to figures provided by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), in the last three years, Emerson has seen a fivefold increase in illegal crossings by refugees – from 68 in 2013 to more than 400 between April and December 2016.

On the West Coast, the number of crossings has doubled, and in Quebec, it has more than quadrupled.

Many asylum seekers choose the U.S. over Canada — initially, at least — because there are more direct flights, and presumably because of its historical reputation as a place of refuge.

With my Muslim name, coming from a Muslim country, I didn’t want to get into any type of problems with Americans.’

Some people have straightforward reasons for then wanting to get into Canada – their refugee applications have been denied in the U.S., and they see the neighbour to the north as their last hope.

Others fear the current political climate stateside.

“With my Muslim name, coming from a Muslim country, I didn’t want to get into any type of problems with Americans,” says Zahori.

With President Trump having recently signed an executive order that bans refugees from entering the country for four months, bans Syrians indefinitely and blocks travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, those concerns — and the number of people seeking sanctuary in Canada — are only likely to increase.

Continue Reading On CBC: http://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/desperate-journey-refugee-crossing-canada-us?cid=