By Gerald V. Paul

A recent civil liberties coalition has issued a report documenting that religious and racial profiling is a reality at the Canadian border.

The report cites a Muslim man from the Toronto area who recounts how it is a “regular routine” to be hauled in for questioning and for additional searches by a Canada Border Security Agency agent.

On a recent trip, all the man’s bags were opened and searched one by one, while his laptop and cellphone were taken for additional screening.

The Ottawa-based coalition of rights and labour organizations, calling itself the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, began researching the impact of security measures like the no-fly list two years ago.

Skin colour and religion appear to play a large role in many of the complaints of undue harassment while going through airport security or crossing the border by land, the study found.

The Group collected personal stories with the help of previously published media reports as well as a website and toll-free hotline that netted about 50 complaints.

The Group is calling for the creation of independent watchdog to oversee the operations of all agencies involved in national security , including the Canadian Border Services Agency and Transport Canada, and is urging parliamentarians to conduct a full examination of the no-fly list and any new programme that could mirror the upcoming US Secure Flight programme.