A controversial Internet surveillance bill has been omitted from the federal Conservative party’s proposed crime legislation.
Today, Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General Rob Nicholson held a press conference to introduce the Conservatives’ promised omnibus crime act, titled The Safe Streets and Communities Act, which focuses on crime and terrorism. However, an expected component of the act regarding Internet surveillance known as "Lawful Access" legislation was nowhere to be found.
The set of Lawful Access bills would have warranted Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies the power to acquire the personal information and activity of web users from internet service providers (ISPs). ISPs would also be required by an additional provision to install surveillance equipment on their networks.
The legislation would essentially give law enforcement the ability to track people online without having to obtain a warrant. The federal NDP and Green parties, and civil liberties groups among others decried the bill as overly-invasive, dangerous and potentially costly for internet users.
Over 66,000 people signed an online petition called "Stop Online Spying", spearheaded by Open Media, a national non-profit geared towards media issues.
The Internet surveillance bill could still go before Parliament, but now as a separate entity from the omnibus bill -- which will be passed in the next 100 days. A spokesperson from the Department of Justice Canada responded by email to questions about future plans for the Lawful Access legislation, saying, "Our Government is committed to reintroducing these measures and further details will be announced in due course." No response was given as to why the Lawful Access legislation had been omitted from the crime act.
The Safe Streets and Communities Act will increase penalties for sex offenders, those caught with possession or producing illicit drugs for the purposes of trafficking, and intends to implement tougher sentencing on violent and repeat youth crime. It also plans to eliminate the use of conditional sentences, or house arrest, for serious and violent crimes.
Grace Scott is completing her practicum at The Tyee
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igbymac
35 weeks ago
I suspect this only means
...that while we are distracted in our relief that the government did not overtly decide we have no further rights of privacy, they will take advantage elsewhere. These folks are all intoxicated on the power and basking in their own self delusion. What a complete joke Canadian politics has been over the years.
igbymac
35 weeks ago
From the link in the story
"By bringing forward this legislation, the Government is demonstrating its commitment to ensuring criminals are held fully accountable for their actions and that the safety and security of law-abiding Canadians and victims comes first in Canada's justice system."
Of course the crimes committed by the state are immaterial. Harper's role in the ongoing war crimes against humanity in the Middle East being the obvious one. Geesus, is it that hard for the public to see the sickening decent into madness we have in our government??
Dungeness_Crab
35 weeks ago
Apparently so
since mandatory slammer time for a few pot plants is still in the bill.
Apparently so, since elimination of public funding for elections is still in the bill.
But hey, they'll get that and more now that the red herring of "Lawful Access" bills were succesfully deployed to distract citizen's attention from these two issues.
Mission Accomplished!
sicntired
35 weeks ago
Harper's criminal agenda
This shotgun crime bill is an affront to anyone but the victims of serious crimes who are the only Canadians this government will listen to.It's all well and good to get their side and crime victims have been ignored too long.That doesn't mean they should be the only voices heard when we consider changes to our court system,which affect everyone.The drug sections of this bill run contrary to everything we've learned over the long haul and this governments disdain for harm reduction is shameful.The constant swipes at insite,for example are a waste of precious tax dollars and a private crusade for the PM.The whole world took a step away from the hard liners at the recent Vienna convention.Where even the UN admitted that the hard line approach had minimum effect on supply and use of drugs and a harm reduction and treatment on demand model would be a better use of resources.By cramming together a dozen bills into one huge omnibus bill is an effort by the Harper conservatives to blow a lot of questionable legislation past an opposition in disarray.It is a cynical and foolish move that will be a standard for Harper with a majority.He will change the way we live in this country for years to come.The environment will be destroyed in a mad grab for quick cash in a depressed economy. The changes to our courts and prison population will alter the way we are seen by the rest of the world.The days of proudly displaying the red maple leaf on backpacks will soon be a thing of the past.Canada was a world leader in the numbers of people we jailed by population.A distinction taken over by the US in their mad dash to enforce a hard line prohibition.It has been a disaster for them and now we are going to follow them down a road they are rushing to get off of.This is just the beginning of the Harper social engineering experiment.
pianosaurus rex
35 weeks ago
Expect more of the same to continue
From the program I viewed a couple of years ago the US spent 14 billion in one year fighting the marijuana issue alone…..
And this product grows in the southern US like blackberries do here; wild by the roadside along with jimson weed(Datura stramonium,very dangerous) and several other alkaloids….
For the matter the plant hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora) which is a favourite in American and Canadian gardens, has leaves that can be rolled into joints and smoked.
It is a member chemical of the cyanide family that gives you the kick if that is an attraction to some…..
Also hops ( humulus lupulus) have a sedative quality when brewed as a tea for two hours or more. Have a tablespoon before bedtime and whoosh!zzzzzzzzzzz
Also can be grafted successfully to a marijuana root; then you end up with hops vine loaded with marijuana’s active resins……
The whole issue surrounding drug prohibitions from the feds is right out of the ‘20’s; Reefer Madness and all of the other similar movies made around the same time period…..
This crime bill is completely driven by fundamentalist Christian ideology from the leader who constantly demonstrates an inability to remove his personal religious views from his public decision making….along with many of the other members of his cabinet.
pianosaurus rex
35 weeks ago
Oh and something to think about
If Harper really is interested in reducing crime, perhaps this bill should include the crime of paying a firm 90K an hour to tell you how to save money…