Surveillance of journalists 'makes Canada more dangerous'
On Oct. 31, it was revealed that Montreal police had obtained a warrant to track the cellphone of Quebec journalist Patrick Lagacé.
Then on Nov. 2, reports stated at least six other Quebec journalists have been tracked by police, including three Radio-Canada reporters.
This surveillance raises concern for Tom Henheffer, the executive director of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
"We live in a post-privacy world where there is such a lack of oversight ... and so much impunity in these police forces," he tells The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti.
"Canadians don't realize that this democratic institution, that is so incredibly important, is really suffering and needs serious change."
He says it is an abuse of power on the part of the police to use the legal warrant process to track journalists in this way but tells Tremonti, "it's completely legal under the current system which shows there needs to be legislative changes."
"Police should be concentrating on ending corruption in their ranks and working on corruption in political players in these provinces, not on trying to stop leaks."
"There has never been an eminent terrorist threat stopped by metadata collection," according to Henheffer. "That has never happened."
But he says what does happen is sources get chilled from speaking to journalists, whistleblowers are afraid to come forward and he says it's impossible for journalists to do their job "which means democracy suffers."
"It does nothing to make Canada more secure. It just makes Canada more dangerous."
The Current did request interviews with Montreal Police and the Sûreté du Québec. We did not receive a response.
Listen to the full conversation.
This segment was produced by The Current's John Chipman and Shannon Higgins.