Editor:
The new spying powers proposed in Bill C-51 are highly unpopular: 71 per cent of Canadians don't want to trade their privacy rights to give spy agencies more power.
Over 110,000 people have already spoken out against this reckless proposed legislation, turning CSIS into a "secret police" force with little oversight or accountability. It is dangerous, opening the door for violations of our charter rights, including censorship of free expression online.
Yet this would be an unproductive addition to existing law, leading 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.
I hope our MP, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, notices that public opinion is changing rapidly.
The more Canadians learn about what's in this bill, the less they like it. Before Canadians knew what was in Bill C-51, 17 per cent opposed it; three weeks later, we found out and now 50 per cent oppose it.
Here is why: If this bill passes, sensitive private information that can reveal everything from our financial status, to our medical history, our sexual orientation, and even our religious and political beliefs would be shared between no fewer than 17 government agencies and even handed to foreign governments.
Victims of such privacy breaches wouldn't even be informed and would never know. In effect, the government could spy on anyone, at anytime, and none of us would even know when we've been subject to such an invasion of our privacy.
Do we really want our federal government to create a shadowy and unaccountable secret police force that will trample on innocent citizens' freedoms?
The government has admitted Bill C-51 is fundamentally flawed, so they must withdraw the legislation and, instead, properly resource existing law.
I encourage Canadians to learn more about how we can work together to stop Secret Police Bill C-51 at: StopC51.ca
Edwin M. Hopkins
