The Balance to be Found Between Civil Liberties and National Security

In the winning essay from the 2012 Trench Gascoigne competition, Megan Warshawsky looks at the struggle between civil liberties and national security, highlighting how the debate over which takes precedence has only intensified given the recent increase in international terrorist attacks. With examples from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, the essay illustrates how, over time, the scales have tipped back and forth between favouring security and favouring liberty. It concludes with a test which can be used to determine when it is necessary to sacrifice civil liberties in the name of national security.