Amend C-51 or kill it

Jocelyne Steeves | Jun 18, 2015

The National Post has an open letter addressed to all members of Parliament stating its deep concern with the content of Bill C-51. They, along with a long list of concerned citizens and experts, consider the Bill to be “ a dangerous piece of legislation in terms of its potential impacts on the rule of law, on constitutionally and internationally protected rights, and on the health of Canada’s democracy.

Here is a brief summary of the five major concerns the National Post highlights, which they hope will persuade all MPs to vote against the C-51:

1) The Bill will allow security-intelligence information-sharing without protections for privacy and abuse. 2) Curb freedom of speech. 3) Allow CSIS, that is now gathering information with associated surveillance, to actively intervene and disrupt activities which they deem to be a threat to national security. 4) “Bill C-51 does not include “the type of concrete, effective measures that have been proven to work, such as working with communities ‎on measures to counter radicalization of youth.” 5) C-51 does not have any kind of accountability processes and mechanisms that will catch and hopefully prevent abuses of the wide new powers given to CSIS and a large number of partner agencies.

In protesting the lack of debate on C-51, Elizabeth May of the Green Party was accused of being pro-terrorism. Society should be striving for connection, not division. C-51 is aimed at stripping Canadians of their constitutional rights. This government needs to be made accountable and it is up to every one of us to voice our objections, while we still can.