The more Canadians learn about Bill C-51, the less they like it. As knowledge of the bill’s contents have become known, opposition has risen by 33 percentage points in just three weeks.
Bill C-51 is reckless in that it turns CSIS into a secret police force, with little accountability. The bill is also very dangerous because it allows our Charter Rights and Freedoms to be violated without oversight. CSIS does not even have to inform its victims of privacy breaches, which include censorship of our online expression, our financial status, medical history, sexual orientation, as well as our religious and political beliefs.
Dragnet surveillance of this nature has proven to be extremely ineffective, however it will potentially be shared with no fewer than 17 government agencies and can be handed to foreign governments.
Do we, as citizens in a democracy, want our Federal Government to create a shadowy unaccountable secret police force? Over 110,000 people have already spoken out against this bill. 71% of Canadians already oppose the trading of their privacy rights for the increasing of governmental spy powers.
While even the government admits now that the bill is flawed and needs some revision, the current agenda is to push this bill through in record time. Why? Perhaps we should ask our MP, Bob Zimmer. Perhaps we should suggest that the Conservatives go back to the drawing board or scrap this bill. And perhaps, while we are feeling active, we should sign one of the many petitions which are building opposition to this unpopular, flawed, and dangerous act.
Rob Mercereau
Dunster, B.C.
