Fine line between increasing security and respecting civil liberties

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Following yesterday’s shootings in Ottawa, there will be a temptation to add new security measures, but at what cost?

Any time an attack like this shocks a nation, there’s an instinctive reaction to increase surveillance and up security precautions.

“I think it is tempting in these moments to give law enforcement and our national security agencies whatever expanded powers that they ask for in the hopes that it will keep us safer,” says BC Civil Liberties Association Senior Counsel Carmen Cheung.

But Dr. Rob Gordon with Simon Fraser University says we mustn’t overreact.

“We do not want to find ourselves living in a cage because of violent activities of people who come from locations in the world where civil libertarian issues are minimized,” says Gordon.

While stressing that point, Gordon did say he was surprised by how easy it was for the shooter to get so close to politicians given a number of recent threats made by extremists against Canada in recent weeks.

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