On Saturday, March 14, we witnessed a rare phenomena. Canadians from coast to coast protested in the streets at more than 50 locations to denounce Bill C-51, the government’s new anti-terrorism legislation. This is a reaction we have not seen in Canada in a long time.
The list of Canadians speaking out against this bill is growing every day and includes such knowledgeable and prominent voices as former prime ministers Jean Chrétien (who was in power during 9/11), Paul Martin, Joe Clark (a Conservative), John Turner, former Supreme Court Justices, more than 100 academics, and so many more. The privacy commissioners from every province and territory in Canada have penned an extensive letter pointing out the dangers of the legislation. In short, the people who are deeply informed about this bill are deeply troubled by it.
There are many concerns with Bill C-51. The website stopc51.ca has summarized Bill C-51 as being:
Reckless. It turns CSIS into a ‘secret police’ force with little oversight or accountability.
Dangerous. It opens the door for violations of our Charter Rights including censorship of free expression online.
Ineffective. It will lead to dragnet surveillance and information sharing on innocent Canadians that is not effective.
The Conservative government is rushing through a deeply flawed piece of legislation that will impact on the privacy rights and freedoms of every Canadian. The government has failed to provide evidence of either the need or effectiveness of these powers and has failed to provide oversight to prevent abuses of the new powers. With an election right around the corner, the timing is also suspicious.
Our MP recently sent out a letter to the local papers titled “Our duty to defend Canada?” In my opinion this is best accomplished by opposing Bill C-51.
Tobiah Riley
