CCLA on R. v. Pike and Scott

TORONTO —  Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made the following statement:

The Court of Appeal for Ontario has released its decision in R. v. Pike and Scott, holding that s. 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act, which authorizes border officers to search electronic devices without any reasonable basis, is unconstitutional because it violates the s. 8 Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. The CCLA was an intervenor in the case.

The CCLA applauds this important ruling, which makes it clear the border is not a Charter free zone. As the CCLA argued, standardless limitless searches of electronic devices, which contain highly private information, violate the Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

Parliament must legislate a stringent standard with clear safeguards for the state to search an electronic device at the border. This reflects the fact that electronic devices are a trove of our most personal, intimate, and sensitive information.

Vous pouvez lire le mémoire de l'ACLC ICI and the Court’s decision is appended.

The CCLA is grateful to the excellent pro bono representation of Samara Secter and Jocelyn Rempel of Addario Law Group, and Lex Gill of Trudel Johnston & Lespérance.

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À propos de l’association canadienne sur les libertés civiles
L’ACLC est un organisme indépendant à but non lucratif qui compte des partisans dans tout le pays. Fondée en 1964, c’est une association de défense des droits de la personne qui opère à l’échelle du Canada pour défendre les droits, la dignité, la sécurité et les libertés de toute la population.

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