While Canadians feel the security-rights balance in the fight against terrorism is appropriate, a new poll suggests a sizable minority is worried security forces are going too far.

The Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll found that 53 per cent of Canadians do not feel security forces have gone too far, but 45 per cent do.

Fifty-seven per cent feel they would get treated fairly by security forces and the courts if wrongfully accused of terrorist activities, but 41 per cent don't.

The poll was conducted between Feb. 3 and 5. It sampled 1,055 Canadians and is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

There was some regional variation on those two questions.

B.C. (51 per cent) and Quebec (50 per cent) provided the strongest regional support for the idea of security forces having gone too far. Forty-five per cent of those in Atlantic Canada and Saskatchewan/Manitoba agreed with the statement, dropping to 42 per cent in Ontario and 36 per cent in Alberta.

Older people were more likely to think security forces have gone too far, with 50 per cent of those over age 55 supporting the statement.

On the fair trial question, Quebec and Saskatchewan/Manitoba were most worried about a fair trial, with 47 per cent thinking they wouldn't be treated fairly.

No other province or region was above 40 per cent.

Older people and low-income people were more worried about receiving a fair trial.

Terrorism and security issues had been in the news in the days before the poll.

On Jan. 28, the federal government announced it would conduct in inquiry into the case of Maher Arar, a Syrian-Canadian deported to his birth country by the U.S. on suspicion of being an al Qaeda member.

Arar claims to have been tortured by the Syrians and has denied any links to al Qaeda.

A week earlier, 10 RCMP officers searched the home of an Ottawa Citizen journalist who had received a secret document about the Arar case.

While most Canadians feel the balance may be appropriate, they don't want to see their privacy or other rights eroded further to aid the war on terrorism.

Seventy-five per cent of all respondents were opposed to giving security officials even more powers to invade privacy by tapping phones or reading either conventional or e-mail without them ever knowing it.

Only 15 per cent of respondents supported the notion.

There was no regional variation.

On the issue of searching journalists' homes for leaked information about national security investigations, 54 per cent don't think police should be able to do so.

Another 44 per cent support such searches.

Regional support was strongest in Alberta and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (53 and 48 per cent) and lowest in B.C. (42 per cent). Most other provinces were roughly in the mid-40s in support.

The higher the education, the less likely one was to support such searches.

A final issue examined was whether governments could keep evidence secret in national security trials.

Fifty-one per cent supported the proposition and 48 per cent opposed it. Only one per cent said they didn't know.

British Columbians and Quebecers were most likely to agree (both at 56 per cent). Atlantic Canadians and Albertans were at 52 and 51 per cent respectively, while Saskatchewan/Manitoba and Ontario provided the least support (47 per cent).