Surveillance, Law Enforcement, and Civil Liberties

Counterterrorism powers, emergency laws, and their limits.

Law enforcement cooperation, oversight, and risks of misuse.

How surveillance disproportionately affects racialized or marginalized groups.

Use by police, airports, and businesses vs. privacy rights.

This forum examines the delicate balance between government surveillance and individual freedoms, exploring how invasive practices risk undermining democratic values and personal privacy in Canada. It matters because Canadians increasingly face tensions between security needs and the right to privacy in an era of digital monitoring and law enforcement expansion.

Encryption, privacy-first tools, and civic resistance to overreach.

Government monitoring, bulk data collection, and public trust.

Courts, watchdog agencies, and independent review mechanisms.

Algorithms in crime prevention, accuracy concerns, and bias.

Monitoring demonstrations and balancing public order with free expression.

Monitoring employees, students, and digital behavior tracking.