CAUT has joined the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG), a coalition of civil rights advocates, NGOs, churches, unions, environmental advocates, other faith groups and groups representing immigrant and refugee communities in Canada.

The group serves as a roundtable for discussion and exchange between organizations and communities likely to be affected by the application of Canada's anti-terrorism legislation, and to provide a point of cooperative action in response to the laws and their impact on the legitimate activities of Canadians.

Among eminent Canadians who have come forward as "friends of the ICLMG" are former Solicitor General of Canada Warren Allmand; Ed Broadbent, a former leader of Canada's NDP Party; Gordon Fairweather, first chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission; David MacDonald, a former Canadian Secretary of State and ambassador to Ethiopia; Flora Mcdonald, a former minister of foreign affairs; and, Lois Wilson, a former moderator of the United Church of Canada and retired member of the Canadian Senate.

Much of the coalition's recent work has involved developing and advancing critiques of the federal government's national security legislation, including Bill C-17, the Public Safety Act.

Allmand said the ICLMG's main concern is the diminishing role and influence of democratic institutions in Canada in the face of a political environment where security issues and U.S. pressures to harmonize policies are threatening the rights of citizens.

"This represents a departure from the core freedoms and shared values that are the pillars of Canadian democracy," Allmand said. "By abandoning these freedoms and values, as a society we run the risk of gradually falling prey to an authoritarian style of governance not much different from the regimes we condemn."

"These are important concerns for academics," said CAUT executive director James Turk. "Government initiatives and security concerns since 9-11 are having a chilling impact on Canadian campuses. Issues include self-censorship of scholarly publications, limitation of campus discussion of controversial political issues and barriers to international travel by academics, particularly to and from the U.S.

"Through the ICLMG we hope to work with others to advance the cause of civil liberties generally and protect society's particular interest in a free, robust and critical scholarly community," he added.