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| Arthur Roebuck |
| Arthur Roebuck was a central figure in the post-WWII civil liberties movement in Canada He was a Liberal appointee to the Senate from Toronto and had previously served in George Drew's cabinet in Ontario. During the espionage commission's hearings and the spy trials, Roebuck publicly criticized the government's decision to suspend the suspects' individual rights and to use the commission's transcripts in court. He even helped defend one of the accused spies in court (Israel Halperin), an notable gesture considering that it was the same people who appointed Roebuck who were persecuting the accused! In addition, he played an important role in the creation of the Ottawa Civil Liberties Association. Roebuck later chaired the 1950 Senate Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in which private citizens groups came from around Canada to advocate the creation of a Canadian Bill of Rights. |
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