Terms of Reference

The Panel

A five-person panel has been formed of leaders in the Ottawa community to deal with concerns which have been raised by police operations during citizens’ demonstrations and expression of views on the weekend of November 16 to 18, 2001, when the G-20 meeting was held in Ottawa.

Context: the concerns

Citizens who participated in these marches and expressions of views have reported that they believed their rights to peaceful demonstration and use of public spaces were abrogated by some police operations. Reports include the use of apparently arbitrary searches and arrest, employment of riot squad techniques, machine guns and dogs, and intimidation in the face of peaceful protest. Such reports raise serious questions for the community and for the relationship between police and the citizenry.

Because these questions are not being examined by duly constituted boards or other public bodies, the alternative of a citizens’ review has been followed.

Overall aims of the Review

The review is intended to be a transparent process where the views of citizens and the police can be aired and discussed, as part of laying the foundation for

• understanding the circumstances of November 16 to 18, particularly the treatment of citizens as well as the perceptions and objectives of the police;

• examining systemic issues in relation to policing and the free expression of citizens’ opinions; and

• rebuilding the trust between citizens and police that is essential in a free and democratic society.

The Review seeks to carry out the following tasks:

• To provide an opportunity for all parties to describe events of November 16 to 18 and the demonstrations that occurred, through encouraging all views to be expressed;

• To explore the roles and duties involved in the demonstrations and the policing, particularly the rights to free expression and security of the person on the one hand, and the needs to protect dignitaries and property on the other;

• To raise the level of public debate about both these roles of citizens and the duties inherent in policing, and the policies and standards which direct those duties; and

• To make recommendations which will serve both this and other communities in striking an appropriate and mutually respectful balance between rights and duties within the framework of a free and democratic society.

The Review is intended to be a process that is transparent while respecting individual privacy where requested, and which will seek to uncover truth and aim at reconciliation. The Panel will invite written and oral submissions and will seek advice from all sides prior to writing its own observations and recommendations.
 

Submission Procedures

The Citizens Panel intends a process that is transparent while respecting individual privacy where requested, and which will seek to uncover truth and aim at reconciliation. The Panel invites written and oral submissions and will seek advice from all sides prior to writing its own observations and recommendations.

Written submissions should be a maximum of 5 pages double-spaced, may be in French or English, submitted by email or by mail. At the top of the first page of your submission, provide your name, unless you have indicated you wish full privacy (see below).

• On a cover sheet indicate:
• Is this a PRIVATE or a PUBLIC submission? If public, may it go on the web site? with your name attached?
• The date
• Your name and a contact street address and phone number
• If you wish to appear before the panel in person, indicate your availability for the public session dates;
• A brief summary highlighting the key items you wish to address.

• summaries should be available 48 hours prior to your presentation
• March 2 – full written submissions

                    Internet: Email form

Public sessions for oral presentations at Ottawa locations will be announced by February 14. Presentations will be scheduled by volunteers providing administrative support to the Citizen Panel, who will contact individuals with the date and approximate time of presentation. If it is the only way to hear a range of stories, requests to present will be screened to consolidate similar statements and representative presentations will be selected. Any submissions not presented in person will still be incorporated into the final report. If time permits, drop-in presenters may also be invited to speak.

If you wish to make a presentation, please

• provide a brief synopsis to the Panel, by February 21, with full contact information, to facilitate scheduling;

• if you are a member of a group, you might choose to consolidate your presentation, and to identify a single spokesperson; other members of the group should attend the session to help answer any questions posed by the Panel.

The Panel is a community process, not a judicial one. Records kept will include only the written submissions and a note of proceedings (who has presented and when).

• Names (with addresses) will be taken as provided by presenters.
• Personal information will be released only on permission of the individual.
• Personal information submitted to the panel will not be detailed in the Panel’s observations or recommendations, which will address issues generically.
• For ‘Full Privacy’ please have a friend send an email and provide a contact number.

GROUP SUBMISSIONS

Some groups may wish to make submissions because they shared common experiences on the days in question. Some groups may wish to make submissions because individual participants carried their personal experiences back to their group, which now wants to reflect together on the implications of that experience for our community.

Where groups of individuals wish to make submission as the result of group discussions, they should provide the identifying information and cover page noted above for submissions [names, addresses and phone numbers] and submit to the e-mail or mail address above. Other guidelines for length and deadlines apply.