By CCU President John Hanrahan
In Canada, a person is a thousand times more likely to be injured or killed through a collision with a moose or other animal than through a terrorist attack. This statistic is not meant to downplay security threats but rather to put them in perspective.
Bill C-51, the Anti-Terror Act being put forward by the Harper Conservatives, doesn’t constitute a balanced security approach in line with the real level of threat in our country. Rather, it constitutes an approach based on sensationalism, flawed ideology, and the politics of fear.
In the fashion of the George Bush Republicans, who successfully used the politics of fear to gain public support in the United States, the Harper conservatives are willfully spreading anxiety and sensationalism in order to wrap themselves in the flag and gain political capital from passing this flawed and dangerous legislation.
The Harper Conservatives and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Charter outlines the basic human rights and freedoms of all Canadians. It is part of the constitution and must be respected in order for our country to operate as a democracy and a society that respects and values human rights.
We cannot have a secure country where a climate of fear causes us to accept regular violations of our basic rights and freedoms. This is a false choice that it is not necessary. There are already significant protections in place. We do not need to trade our freedom for security.
The Harper record on respecting the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is already abysmal. Their so-called “Tough on Crime” legislation, which was introduced at a time when crime was already steadily decreasing for years, was found unconstitutional.
Bill C-377, a piece of legislation they introduced to attack unions, has been called unconstitutional by the Canadian Bar Association. We cannot trust a government that consistently places its own ideology and agenda over the Canadian Constitution and the democratic rule of law.
The Criminalisation of Legitimate Protest and Decent
The overly broad definitions and vague language of Bill C-51 have the very real possibility of being used to criminalize legitimate political dissent and protest, particularly by environmental groups and unions.
This is bad enough, but coupled with a government that has a long history of using legislation and the agencies of government to attack its political opponents, it’s just plain scary.
Bill C-51 will not make this country safer. It will have the opposite effect.
Please take the time to defend the rights of all Canadians by supporting the petition and reviewing the materials below.
Sign the NDP Petition to Stop Bill C-51
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