Earlier this week, the Varsity reported that executives of the University of Toronto (U of T) Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) have been receiving surprise visits from Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agents and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers for three years.
An anonymous former MSA executive told the Varsity that CSIS agents showed up at his doorstep unannounced in 2016. The officers discussed certain members of the group who were from the Middle East, and said they were concerned that the U of T might be a place where students were becoming radicalized.
It is important that all students, including Muslim students, educate themselves about their rights when it comes to dealing with law enforcement officers who are conducting an investigation. Police officers are meant to make citizens feel safe—unauthorized questioning and visits often do the opposite.
In cases of investigations like these, students do not have to speak with law enforcement officers if they don’t want to. CSIS cannot legally search or seize personal property, such as phones or laptops, unless agents obtain a warrant issued by a judge and the approval of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
If you have any interactions with law enforcement during an investigation, you should document everything that occurred and seek legal counsel.
