UPDATE:
The federal government has scrapped a plan to eavesdrop on travellers’ conversations at the Ottawa international airport pending further study after news of the program drew criticism from privacy watchdogs.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) installed microphones at the Macdonald-Cartier Airport to further screen travellers in a plan Public Safety Minister Vic Toews defended Monday as a way to prevent smuggling. Toews assured critics Canadians’ privacy would be respected. No conversations had been recorded, according to reports.