"We need all the info we can gather lol"

The government's case against Mohamed Harkat isn't going so well.

CSIS is under the lens, and, to extend the metaphor, the sun is getting brighter. Federal Court Justice Simon Noël is unsatisfied with its promise to investigate itself, after damaging revelations last week about CSIS' attempts to pervert the course of justice. He's holding his own behind-closed-doors inquiry.

A government lawyer has conceded the blindingly obvious: "It may be the allegations against Mr. Harkat look a little different after we're finished with the closed hearing."

Meanwhile the Canadian Border Services Agency's little fishing expedition last month is also coming under uncomfortable scrutiny. 13 agents tumbled the Harkat residence for six hours, accompanied by three police officers and three specialized sniffer dogs--one detects explosives, another, firearms, and the third can nose out money. I'd like one of those.

The posse didn't find any of the three, and had to make do, inter alia, with family photos, a newspaper article and a birth certificate.

An email from Jasmine Richard (CBSA supervisor) said: ''I need you guys to plan [referring to a home search]. We are preparing to write the risk assessments and we need all the info. we can gather lol.''

Apparently Harkat's spouse didn't see the humour, and, according to Richard, "had to be calmed down." Just another day in a country I used to recognize.