National security and counter-terrorism in Canada: past, present and future

This essay deals with the terrorist threat in Canada and how it has been managed by the Canadian legislator and courts since 2001 onwards, taking into consideration current anti-terrorism measures and forthcoming changes (through the analysis of Bill C-59, currently being discussed before the Canadian Parliament). A “look back” is provided as well, as this work retraces terrorist attacks before 2001 and how Canadian institutions reacted. Both legislation and case law are the object of this analysis, whose final aim is to assess how the balance between human rights and national security is framed in the Canadian context and which are future perspectives.