Protests planned across the country against Canada’s anti-terror bill
Posted March 10, 2015 11:19 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s a piece of proposed legislation being called unnecessary, irresponsible and reckless by critics.
Protests are being planned to oppose anti-terror Bill C-51 across Canada this weekend, including right here in Vancouver at the Art Gallery.
The bill, which would give sweeping new powers to Canadian intelligence agencies, has seen plenty of criticism from those who say we’ll be giving up too many of our freedoms.
“That’s why we’re seeing so many people come together to speak out against it,” says David Christoper with technology activists Open Media. “Over 70,000 Canadians have spoken out in just the past few weeks.”
Christoper says many people simply don’t want their privacy violated without cause.
“A lot of those powers can either be wielded without a warrant, or via a warrant granted in secret that then enables them to break the law, and even break the charter,” he tells us.
One hundred law professors have come out against the bill, and even Premier Christy Clark voiced concerns with aspects of this plan over the weekend.
A recent EKOS poll has found 29 per cent of Canadians say they’d be willing to give up personal privacy safeguards to boost spy agency powers.
