The government’s secret police Bill C-51 is reckless, dangerous, and ineffective.
The bill is reckless because it turns CSIS into a ‘secret police’ force with little oversight or accountability.
It is dangerous because it opens the door for violations of our charter rights including censorship of free expression online.
It is ineffective because it will lead to dragnet surveillance and information sharing on innocent Canadians that even Stephen Harper has admitted is ineffective.
To make matters worse, the government is trying to push this law through Parliament in record time.
Before Canadians knew what was in Bill C-51, 17 per cent opposed it. Three weeks later, they found out. Now 50 per cent oppose it.
The more Canadians learn about what’s in this bill, the less they like it – that’s why opinion is changing so fast.
If the bill passes, your sensitive private information would be shared between no fewer than 17 government agencies and even handed to foreign governments.
This includes sensitive information that can reveal everything from your financial status, to your medical history, your sexual orientation, and even your religious and political beliefs.
Victims of these privacy breaches wouldn’t even be informed. That means the government could spy on anyone, at anytime, and we wouldn’t even know when we’ve been a victim.
Do we really want the government to create a shadowy and unaccountable secret police force that will trample on innocent citizens’ freedoms? These new spying powers are highly unpopular: 71 per cent of Canadians don’t want to trade their privacy rights to give spy agencies more power.
More than 110,000 people have already spoken out. The government has admitted Bill C-51 is fundamentally flawed, so they must withdraw the legislation, go back to the drawing board and start over. Our MP, Colin Mayes, needs to vote against this bill.
Neil Caves
