Fence in all summits, RCMP says

'Essential' barricade made meeting in Quebec City 'a complete success'

BY JIM BRONSKILL

Large fences such as the controversial perimeter at the Summit of the Americas conference in Quebec City should become a routine means of securing global meetings in Canada, an internal RCMP report recommends.

The chainlink fence set up to protect delegates to the summit last April was "essential" in making security efforts a "complete success," says the newly obtained evaluation of police performance at the Quebec City gathering.

The report, while suggesting a number of administrative improvements, praises members of the RCMP and other forces for an "extraordinary job" that showcased police expertise and professionalism.

The findings contrast sharply with criticism by some rights advocates who objected to police use of tear gas and rubber bullets, and the detention of more than 420 demonstrators in cramped quarters.

The RCMP, working alongside provincial and municipal police, fenced off the summit area at Quebec City with a 4.5 kilometre structure about two metres high, anchored in concrete.

"The use of this kind of fence for this kind of event must be repeated in order to separate violent protesters from the dignitaries present at the event," the report recommends.

The Citizen obtained a copy of the 230-page RCMP evaluation under the Access to Information Act.

The Quebec City fence, which was unsuccessfully challenged in the courts, became symbolic of the exceptional security measures at the summit attended by delegations from 34 countries.

While most summit protests were peaceful, some demonstrators threw projectiles and tore down a section of the fence.

A report by civilian observers prepared shortly after the summit concluded that overall the police respected human rights, exercising restraint and patience. However, the panel criticized "abusive" use of tear gas, dangerous reliance on rubber bullets and mistreatment of some detainees.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Montreal-based group Rights and Democracy subsequently called for more thorough investigation of the issues.

The internal RCMP report, completed late last year, says the Mounties prepared for worst-case scenarios at Quebec City following confrontations between police and anti-globalization demonstrators at previous international summits in Seattle, Washington, Prague and other cities.

The report's release comes as the Senate foreign affairs committee studies legislation that spells out RCMP authority to set up fences and take other security measures at global conferences held in Canada

The bill, An Act to Amend the Foreign Missions and International Organizations Act, gives the RCMP primary responsibility to ensure the security of intergovernmental meetings. The Mounties would be permitted to "take appropriate measures, including controlling, limiting or prohibiting access to any area" to the extent reasonable in the circumstances.

Some legal experts and MPs have called the legislation too vague and sweeping in scope.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham told the Senate committee last Wednesday the bill does not alter the limits on police powers found in the Criminal Code or the Charter of Rights.

Liberal Senator Eymard Corbin said he feared the legislation was part of a broader trend on the part of government to silence the voices of people who do not agree with official policies.

"If a younger generation cannot get across its message to people without being intimidated by 10-foot barbed-wire fences and what have you, how are you going to get down to their level and listen to them?" he asked.