VANCOUVER — A lawyer representing environmental groups alleging they were illegally snooped on by Canada's spy agency can't tell clients about his testimony in a closed-door hearing in Vancouver.
B.C. Civil Liberties Association executive director Josh Paterson says he's been barred from disclosing his own testimony to the Security Intelligence Review Committee.
The restricted hearing is related to whether the Canadian Security Intelligence Service went too far in eyeing anti-pipeline activists.
Those allegedly spied on include members and volunteers of the Dogwood Initiative, ForestEthics Advocacy and leadnow.ca.
Members of those groups are scheduled to testify before the federal committee until the hearing wraps up tomorrow and expect to face a similar ban on their participation.
The hearing follows a complaint filed by the civil liberties association that CSIS considered opposition to the petroleum industry a threat to national security and that it illegally shared information with the National Energy Board.
