TORONTO—John Steele (seated, center), Communist League candidate for Canada’s House of Commons in the Eglinton-Lawrence riding (electoral district) here, demanded the release of Mohamed Harkat. Harkat, an Ottawa man, has been jailed for three years without charges and threatened with deportation to Algeria under a federal “security certificate,” alleging he is an al-Qaeda “sleeper agent.” Steele was speaking at a January 5 meeting of all candidates in that riding. Federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Joseph Volpe (seated far left), whose department is responsible for deportations, was on the panel as the Liberal Party candidate.

Steele said the Communist League platform for the January 23 federal election states: “Abolish security certificates! Free all prisoners jailed or under house arrest on security certificates. Stop all deportations.” None of the other candidates (from left: Volpe; Peter Coy, Conservative Party; Patrick Metzger, Green Party; and Maurganne Mooney, New Democratic Party) took up the matter.

Harkat has appealed to the Supreme Court to lift the security certificate and free him. On December 30 he was denied bail.

—MICHEL DUGRÉ  
 
 
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