A Tale of Two Rallies

Mar 18, 2015

by Helen Forsey

It's a long drive from Ompah to Bancroft, then on to Kingston and back to Ompah all in one soggy day. That's what I did on Saturday, though, and it was well worthwhile.

It was mostly the rallies in the big cities that captured the headlines about the nation-wide protest against Bill C-51. But it's not just people in the cities who are increasingly worried about the problems with government's latest "anti-terrorism" law. In rural Eastern Ontario and in Kingston, the call to "Reject Fear" and "Stop Bill C-51" brought protesters out in significant numbers.

In Bancroft, 40 or 50 people stood in groups on both sides of the highway with their signs, exchanging information about the dangers posed by the bill. Young and old, they came not only from Bancroft and the immediate area but also from Killaloe, Haliburton, Whitney Maynooth – and Ompah! The discussions were informed and the atmosphere energizing. I was especially impressed by the 16-year-old lad who had volunteered to be the contact person for the local rally. With a friendly smile and helpful suggestions, he circulated among the crowd, gathering signatures on the petition while his high school buddies held the large sign they had brought: "DEFEND OUR DEMOCRACY - DOWN with BILL C-51."

Two hours later I arrived in Kingston, where Market Square was crowded with people as the rally began. Whereas in Bancroft there had been no planned program, in Kingston there was a platform and a microphone. Volunteer organizer Andrew McCann and other speakers outlined the sweeping provisions of Bill C-51 and what they would mean for our rights and freedoms.

When my turn came, I took a critical look at the positions of the opposition parties, applauding the Greens and the NDP for their rejection of the bill and lamenting the Liberals' apparent attempt to have their cake and eat it too. One of the signs at the rally read: "Principled Conservatives oppose C-51 - Reckless, Irresponsible, Ineffective." It should have included "principled Liberals" as well.

In the midst of all the alarming information, I pointed out that one of the few protections we have against such draconian laws is a Senate that does its job. Contrary to the NDP's anti-Senate rhetoric, Parliament's Upper House could protect our rights and freedoms by using its veto power and refusing to pass C-51 without massive amendments. Canadians could in fact act now to ensure transition to a "People's Senate" which would prevent an autocratic government from imposing outrageous legislation like Bill C-51.

Also participating in the Kingston rally were representatives of three other species – several dogs, one sheep and Stormy the donkey, a veteran rural activist from the campaign to save the prison farms. Although Bill C-51 is aimed at curbing the rights of Canada's human citizens, these creatures stand in solidarity with us against government measures that remind them too much of George Orwell's "Nineteen-Eighty-Four" and "Animal Farm."

As the crowd began to disperse, several passers-by stopped to ask what it was all about; they hadn't known anything about "Bill C-51." That lack of knowledge serves the government's purposes just fine, because the more people learn about the real effects the bill will have on freedom of expression, political opposition and peaceful protest, the more the alarm bells ring. As the Raging Grannies put it in their C-51 song (to the tune of "The Teddy Bears' Picnic"): "Whatever you do, They’re labelling you: A terrorist!"

These were two quite different rallies, but they had a single purpose – a purpose shared with tens of thousands of fellow citizens from Yellowknife to Victoria to St. John's. I heard the message loud and clear in both Bancroft and Kingston: "Reject the fear-mongering and lies, stop Bill C-51 and restore our democracy!"