Canada’s Response to the “War on Terror”: A New Era of National Security, Erosion of Rights and Racial Injustice

Echoing Canada's historical treatment of immigrants, the post- 9/11 era has brought terrorism and national security issues to the forefront of the political agenda by dividing immigrants based on race, colour, religion and country of origin (Kruger, Mulder and Korenic, 2004). The research critically examines the major security legislation employed by the Canadian government since the events of September 11, 2001, in order to highlight the impact on marginalized communitites, in particular "Muslims" and "Arabs". The paper will examine through key informant interviews, the affect the new security agenda has had on targeted individuals and on the advocacy efforts of social movements and social activists. The paper takes the position that this new era of national security undertaken by the state has resulted in a two-tiered justice system, where certain groups are now being targeted by government and security agencies, while there is an erosion of democratic rights of all Canadians.