Tories Push Security Agenda

Maher who? So much for that lesson.

By Rob Annandale, 24 Oct 2007, TheTyee.ca

Big Story

[Correction notice: This piece originally reported that the NDP had abstained from last year's parliamentary vote on the softwood lumber deal, as alleged recently by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion. The NDP contest this version of events and the Hansard records seem to corroborate their position. This article was corrected on Oct. 31, 2007]

With the fall parliamentary session barely underway, the federal government is wasting no time in trying to bring back controversial anti-terror measures critics say favour security concerns over citizens’ rights.

The day after tabling amendments to the security certificate process deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court earlier this year, the Tories took another stab at green lighting preventive arrests and closed investigative hearings.

The government argues these measures – originally implemented by the Liberals shortly after the 9/11 attacks – are essential for ensuring the safety of Canadians. But opposition concerns and a sunset clause caused them to lapse in March.

Their reintroduction involves a number of changes but so far there have been no alterations to a definition of terrorism that rights groups fear could encourage profiling. Like the Throne Speech, the proposed security measures constitute a matter of confidence that could theoretically bring down the minority Conservative government. But Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion’s initial comments suggest that won’t happen.

The NDP accuse the Liberals of being an “absent” opposition for deciding to abstain from voting on last week’s Throne Speech and reject Dion's claim that they stayed away from the softwood lumber vote last year.

Absent or not, the Liberals have made it clear they want to avoid an election at this point. Their position is unlikely to change until they go up in the polls or feel they have an issue that will resonate with voters. Apparently, civil rights is not it.  [Tyee]

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  • Fiat lux

    4 years ago

    I remember the days when

    I remember the days when people, some of my own friends, have been disappearing without a trace and my mother was arrested and tortured 4 times by the secret police, trying to find out how I got to England and what I was doing there ?

    So, what is the difference between that and now ?

    Never imagined I would see the same criminal mentality coming to Canada, but then, the ideologically warped are the same under any and every flag.

    The biggest and dirtiest joke is that the people arrested are not even told for why, or charged with anything.

    If these jerks, in all "industrialized nations", taking over the economies of others with the perceived power of imaginary capital, would really intent on wiping out terrorism, their first step would and should be is to get the multinational corporate mafia out from those impoverished countries and leave people to develop their own economies, instead of robbing them blind under the fraud of "wealth creating foreign investment" that jacks up the GDP, while citizens are starving to death by the millions.

    Ed Deak.

  • zalm

    4 years ago

    Bah

    Quote:
    The Second Part of the Definition of "Terrorist Activity"
    Paragraph 83.01(1)(b) of the Code provides that a "terrorist activity" consists of:

    (b) an act or omission, in or outside Canada,

    (i) that is committed
    (A) in whole or in part for a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause, and
    (B) in whole or in part with the intention of intimidating the public, or a segment of the public, with regard to its security, including its economic security, or compelling a person, a government or a domestic or an international organization to do or to refrain from doing any act, whether the public or the person, government or organization is inside or outside Canada, and

    (ii) that intentionally
    (A) [...bodily harm]
    (B) [...endangers]
    (C) [...health or safety of the public]
    (D) causes substantial property damage, whether to public or private property, if causing such damage is likely to result in the conduct or harm referred to in any of clauses (A) to (C), or
    (E) causes serious interference with or serious disruption of an essential service, facility or system, whether public or private, other than as a result of advocacy, protest, dissent or stoppage of work that is not intended to result in the conduct or harm referred to in any of clauses (A) to (C),

    So, all other forms of protest except impotent ones are now proscribed, and have been for five years. Government is entitled to suppress advocacy with fences, police, courts and taxation witchhunts, to suppress protest with court orders, or limitations on assembly in the location of your choice, to suppress dissent with direct media access to spread misinformation or propaganda, and to make illegal stoppage of work any time they want.

    No other forms of dissent, protest or societal change are permitted - it says so there in Part ii. If there is anybody - ANYBODY - who thinks this is a good idea, well happy goldfish bowl to you. Just keep your nose to the TV and don't look out the window.

    I sincerely doubt there's someone alive who doesn't do something wrong, against a bylaw or against the law every day. Everyone has something to hide, and everyone should, even if it's only your ID. It simply doesn't seem to have sunk in for many people that the government can "Maherize" you at any time simply for holding your opinions strongly.

  • IAMC

    4 years ago

    So what's new?

    This sounds like the treatment all Canadians who opposed the Liberals faced for the last 30 years, except it was done without any of the other liberals saying anything, until the Conservatives reaffirmed it in writing.
    How else do you explain the fear that broadcasters have feared from being singled out by the CRTC for presenting a radio talk show host, who might actually have a political viewpoint, and advancing it.
    I cannot take the complaining from people who have supported this policy, when it's convenient to them to suppress free speech.
    I already feel violated by liberal thought police that have the backing of regulatory agencies that are unelected, untouchable and always funded by my income tax.
    I am looking for freedom for the average guy before I worry about the rights of possible terrorists.
    In other words, let freedom of speech happen, and all these problems will go away.

  • G West

    4 years ago

    Ron

    What are you talking about?

    What does this mean:
    ...the fear that broadcasters have feared from being singled out....?

  • bike-anarchist

    4 years ago

    Maher Arar for Order of Canada

    I would like to propose that a movement to have Maher Arar nominated for the Order of Canada. I believe it would send a stinging message to 'whoever' may be governing now, and in the near future.

  • Frank

    4 years ago

    Ron Erwin speaks

    Quote:
    .the fear that broadcasters have feared from being singled out....?

    I've heard that in bizarro world this actually happens G.

    Quote:
    This sounds like the treatment all Canadians who opposed the Liberals faced for the last 30 years

    Also, seems that Ron was out of the country while Mulroney was prime minister.

    I have no idea why he hates the Liberals, I'd like to know what specific policies of theirs he finds left-ish.

  • murdock

    4 years ago

    even Sid Dithers was better than this...?

    What Opposition?

    Anyone?

    ...

    Buler?

    ...

    I guess it would take the 'minority' government doing something like outlawing the Liberal Party to get these loser MP's from the essentially defunct LIEberal party back into the parliament to actually oppose?

  • siamdave

    4 years ago

    Another nail in the box .... closer and closer ..

    They're building a box - and you're in it

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