LETTER: Bill C-51 is dangerous and will harm democracy

To the editor:

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.

The bill is dangerous because it opens the door for violations of our Charter Rights including censorship of free expression online.

The bill 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.

The fact is, Stephen Harper’s Secret Police Bill C-51 will harm our democracy by putting law-abiding Canadians under the government’s microscope.

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% of Canadians don’t want to trade their privacy rights to give spy agencies more power. Over 80,000 people have already spoken out.

On March 14, people will gather together in communities across Canada for an emergency day of action to stop the government’s "secret police" law. I hope everyone reading this will join me.

I encourage Canadians to learn more about how we can work together to stop Secret Police Bill C-51 at: StopC51.ca

Darryll Merritt,
Thunder Bay