Civil liberties advocates and defence critics at odds over Aaron Driver case - Action News
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Civil liberties advocates and defence critics at odds over Aaron Driver case

Defence critics and human rights advocates remain at odds over what's reasonable when it comes to monitoring individuals who authorities believe may participate in terrorism, following the death of terror suspect Aaron Driver in Strathroy, Ont.

Former Winnipegger was killed in confrontation with police in Strathroy, Ont.

RCMP announced on Thursday that Aaron Driver, 24, who openly supported ISIS on social media, had made a "martyrdom video" and was planning an attack within 72 hours. (Facebook)

National defence criticsand human rights advocates remainat odds overwhat's reasonable when it comes to monitoring individuals whoauthorities believe may participate in terrorism, following the death of terror suspect Aaron Driver in Strathroy, Ont.

Driver, who waskilledin a confrontation with policeon Wednesday, had been under a peace bonda court order limiting his privileges and movementssince February.

RCMP announced on Thursdaythat Driver, a24-year-old formerWinnipegger whoopenly supportedISIS on social media,had made a "martyrdom video" and was planning an attack within 72 hours.

Mike Cabana, the RCMP's deputy commissioner for federal policing, said the FBI came into possession of the video and tipped off the Mounties onWednesday morning.

That afternoon, officers surrounded a taxi that Driver had calledand a device was detonated in the back of the cab. Driver was killed while the cab driver suffered minor injuries.

'Still a human rights concern,' says advocate

Michelle Falk, a human rights professional in Winnipeg, saysdespitethe outcome,it is unjust and unreasonable to limit or detain people on the assumption that they may commit a crime.

"It is still a human rights concern if an individual is, we could assume,might be able to commit a crime in the future. It's still unreasonable as far as the individual's human rights to detain that person preemptively," she said.

Falk added thatDriver had no previous convictions and his Twitter statements in support of ISIS are protected as free speech.

Heshould have been arrested and charged with promoting terrorism-James Bezan

"We can't assume that there's a whole swath of individuals in the community, based on their economic situation and based off a whole lot of things, that we know statistically will lead more to a life of crime," she said.

"It would be unreasonable to detain people without actually having committed a crime and it's also against their fundamental basic human rights as Canadian citizens."

Manitoba MP and federal Conservative defence criticJames Bezanholdsa starkly different take on Driver's case, sayingthe tragic ending may have been avoided entirely if authorities had chargedDriver in the first place.

"In my opinion, he should have been arrested and charged with promoting terrorism. He would probably be still alive today and we wouldn't have had to worry about him actually conducting a terrorist attack on innocent civilians," he said.

Anti-terrorism law needed, saysBezan

Bezan said he's calling on the federal Liberalgovernment to maintain the Anti-Terrorism Act, which wasbrought in last yearto give Canadianintelligence authorities greater powers to intervene withterror threats or perceived threats.

In March, the head ofthe Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)told a Senate committeethat the agency has used its extraordinary powers to disrupt extremistplots close to two dozen times since the fall of 2015.

"The reality is that we're not immune to terrorism,and not only is it happening around the world but it can happen right here in Canada," Bezan said.

"We're just very lucky that law enforcement was able to stop him before he was able to act out his own terrorist plot that he'd been working on."

Driver moved to Winnipeg in 2011 and by 2014 was on the CSIS'sradar for his online activities.

In June 2015, authorities raided the room Driver had beenrenting at a Charleswood home. RCMP arrested and obtained a peace bond, saying they considered him a terror threat.When Driveragreed to the peace bond in February 2016, he was subjected to a number of conditions.

Falk said she believesDriver's case could have been handled differently.

"I think that if Aaron Driver would have been approached with a more compassionate tone and gone through counselling and being talked to about the things that he had said on Twitter there might have been a different path," she said.

"I think that thesort of the heavy hand of the law that he had been dealt with might have made him just a little bit more disgruntled."