Follow us

FacebookTwitterRSSYoutube
  SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY UPDATES

The Role of Leaks in National Security Investigations

. Published on September 4, 2010

If they’ve mastered anything, the security people in Canada have certainly mastered the art of selectively leaking investigative information to the media. By doing so they have succeeded in charging and convicting the arrested individuals in the court of public opinion. Of course this wouldn’t have been possible without the direct complicity of some journalists and reporters.

The leaks made shortly after the latest arrests that took place in Ottawa on August 25 represent a good example. Information started leaking to the media even before the RCMP’s press conference. Having access to RCMP allegations against his client, Sean May, one of the suspects’ lawyers was quoted in The Toronto Star as saying “I think (leaks) are happening, but I query whether the information is even accurate”.

However, leaks do not have to be false to do damage to the accused person’s reputation. They can be fully or partially accurate but the damage inflicted on one’s reputation is the same especially so when an individual is found to be innocent after a fair trial. We are already seeing an example of that with the news that the fourth suspect was released under bail. Even though he was not charged with any terrorism-related charges his name is now associated with terrorism as terms such as “terror suspect” and “accused terrorist” have been heavily used during the intensive media coverage.

In his Analysis and Recomendations report Justice O’Connor finds “the impact on an individual’s reputation of being called a terrorist in the national media is severe. As I have stated elsewhere, labels, even unfair and inaccurate ones, have a tendency to stick”.

Leaks of that nature have happened many times before. What is disturbing is that the investigators who are leaking the information are doing it with impunity. I found it shocking that there is still no credible agency that the public can turn to when leaks of that nature happen. When will our government step up to the plate and implement Justice O’Connor’s vision of an effective oversight agency over the RCMP?

4 Responses to The Role of Leaks in National Security Investigations

  1. Graeme MEYER

    September 25, 2010 at 8:33 am

    Leaks whether true or not provide opportunity to re-evaluate constantly changing allegiance and create for opportunity to solicit reaction and determine means of calming individual national concerns. Injustice is a constant threat to national security objectives I would say income disparity as well populations are becoming aware of these things in our connected world and individuals become angry solution is not always to clamp down on freedoms but to extend olive branch of liberty

  2. james

    September 6, 2010 at 6:36 am

    The necessity of an effective RCMP oversight oversight agency has been obvious for several years. That setting up such an agency is taking years, when a couple of weeks would seem enough, is likely to make anyone ponder the curious relationship between the goverment and the RCMP.

    But on this specific question of police leaks convicting someone before their trial, we already have a strong and experienced set of people with a mandate to prevent this: judges. Would it need any more than one judgement that a trial had been hopelessly prejudiced by police leaks, and that the accused should therefore go free, to make the police straighten up and fly straight?

  3. Dave

    September 4, 2010 at 7:16 pm

    Agree, these leakings seem intentionally prepared and propagated. I wonder what is the agenda of those who propagate fear among Canadians?

    The same happened In 2003, when the Times edited an article where Maher Arar (Canadian Entrepreneur and telecom engineer) was labeled as ''suspected terrorist''. He spent 12 months in a jail overseas under daily torture. He couldN,t see his family and friends. Goodness, have we waited 7 years to go back to the same insanity! And this time by owr OWN people!

  4. Malcolm

    September 4, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    I sure what is conveyed here is very true, however I believe this is a small part of a comprehensive package. A wide range of complex activities are there to help form public opinion. This does not necessarily involve one central controlling body at the top, running the show, and handing out orders. It's more probably, most of the time mutually advantageous in some way.

    I certainly do see the point about leaked information, that makes the case, true or not people believe what they read. Enough people will believe any popular story, to make such a story the sort of thing that respectable people believe. Any one who has doubt is then perceived has disreputable and mentally unstable. There is a strong tendency among most people to stay with the majority, therefore very little balance of opinion.