Opposition slams bill that could keep Koran-burning pastor Jones from entering Canada.

Opposition slams bill that could keep Koran-burning pastor Jones from entering Canada.(NP).TORONTO — Invited to speak in London, England, last year, Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who gained notoriety for his “International Burn a Koran Day,” never made it because the British government barred him from entering the country for “the public good.”
But with Mr. Jones scheduled to speak in Toronto on Thursday to argue that “Islam is not compatible with Western society,” Canadian immigration officials are saying there is little they can do since they lack similar powers. A bill currently before Parliament would change that, giving the immigration minister the authority to keep out foreign visitors on the grounds of “public policy considerations.” But opposition parties have come out against it. “It’s so vague and all-encompassing, any government for political reasons could almost keep anybody out under ‘public policy considerations,’” Jinny Sims, the NDP immigration critic, said in an interview Tuesday.
“If we’re going to have a criteria for keeping people out, to not allow people access to our country, that criteria needs to be clear, it needs to be specific and we need to see it. It should not be left to the judgment of any minister or any politician.” Liberal MP Irwin Cotler has opposed the bill for the same reason, among others. He said it does not spell out what factors the minister would consider or what checks and balances would ensure the provision wasn’t abused.
Mr. Jones is scheduled to appear on the lawn of the Ontario legislature at 6 p.m. Thursday to take part in a debate about the anti-Islamic video “Innocence of Muslims,” which sparked demonstrations throughout the Muslim world last month. It is still uncertain he will be there. Canada Border Services Agency officers could turn him back if they deem him inadmissible under the existing immigration law, which allows them to exclude visitors considered security threats. “We won’t know that until he attempts to cross the border,” said Allan Einstoss, who is organizing the event.
He said Toronto police had phoned Mr. Jones to inform him of Canadian gun laws and ask if he planned on bringing a copy of “Innocence of Muslims.” The issue of whether the government should have the power to keep out controversial figures has surfaced repeatedly in relation to visits by U.S. neo-Nazis and radical Islamist clerics. An attempt to bar British MP George Galloway in 2009 proved embarrassing for the government and he was eventually let in.Read the full story here.

Update : Anti-Islamic pastor Terry Jones could face border troubles on his way to Toronto this week
Jones claims to have received 400 death threats and that he has a $6.4-million bounty on his head.