To the editor:
Over 150,000 Canadians spoke out and stopped the government’s last attempt to spy on us through Vic Toews’ online spying bill. Now they’re using CSEC to spy on us while covering their tracks with their new Bill C-13 that would give our telecom provider immunity for handing over our private information without a warrant.
Privacy is a fundamental right in any healthy democracy. By spying on us and collecting our private information in giant databases, the government is doing huge damage to Canadian democracy.
More than 30,000 Canadians and over 50 major organizations are speaking up to protest the government’s reckless online spying behaviour. They’ve formed a huge non-partisan privacy coalition to help protect Canadians from government spying.
I am very concerned about how government spying has grown secretive, expensive and out-of-control.
It’s just been revealed that an independent inquiry has found CSEC guilty of misusing public funds and “serious breaches” of values and ethics.
I’ve been shocked to learn how the government’s spy agency CSEC is using taxpayer money to spy on innocent Canadians. We know they spied on thousands of law-abiding airport travellers, and even tracked their movements for weeks after.
The type of data CSEC is collecting on us can reveal everything from our financial status, to our medical history, our sexual orientation, and even our religious and political beliefs.
The cost of this spying is staggering. Taxpayers are on the hook for over $850 million to pay for CSEC this year, and over $4 billion to buy them a lavish new headquarters that the CBC has called a “spy palace” and the “most expensive government building ever built.” This represents a massive waste of public funds.
CSEC works hand-in-glove with the giant U.S. NSA—they even let the NSA set up a massive illegal spying operation.
I encourage each and every Canadian to learn more about our right to privacy at OurPrivacy.ca
Charles Garden,
Lake Country
