TORONTO -- A Conservative cabinet minister swept aside accusations Friday that the government values long-gun owners over web users.
Critics have blasted Ottawa over a new online surveillance bill they argue would compromise Internet users' privacy.
Many pointed out the Tories scrapped the gun registry in part because of concerns that it violated the privacy rights of lawful gun owners.
But Tony Clement defended the government's record on privacy Friday, saying in both cases, officials aimed to "protect society better."
At a social media talk in Toronto, the Treasury Board president said the gun registry did nothing to boost public safety, while the online surveillance bill could help prevent serious offences.
"It's important to make sure police investigators -- if there's someone who is in the midst of planning a terrorist act or someone in the midst of planning some kind of child abuse — we do want to give them the tools to find those people," he said.
"When it comes to the Internet, there's always a balancing of rights and obligations, but no one has 100 per cent rights and no one should have 100 per cent obligations."
The Conservatives tabled the Internet bill this week and quickly sent it to committee after it sparked massive backlash from the public and privacy advocates.
The move comes as the majority government won approval to scrap the controversial gun registry and destroy gun ownership records, something Prime Minister Stephen Harper had repeatedly promised to do since taking office in 2006.
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DPL
13 weeks ago
Gazebo Boy wouldn't know the
Gazebo Boy wouldn't know the truth if he got hit over the head with facts
jimmmmy
13 weeks ago
blue meany
is it just me or does toni clement actually resemble the blue meany in the beatles movie yellow submarine. why this guy is not in prison speaks volumes about the state of justice in canada
featherbean
13 weeks ago
"no one has 100 per cent
"no one has 100 per cent rights"
Funny I don't remember that being in the Charter...
the real ODB
13 weeks ago
good grief
These people (?) in our illustrious governing party are amazingly ignorant! 'Nuff said.
skyhunk
13 weeks ago
"no one has 100 per cent
"no one has 100 per cent rights"
... and under the current "Reform" party we need to expect even less than 100% rights.
Bush started spying on America's citizens using the "Patriot Act", enacted in the "fight against terror" and now Harper is merely following suit.
They hope they can rob us of our fundamental rights to privacy, free speech, etc., by instilling fear, and by promising they have our best interests at heart and they will protect us.
Dan the socialist
13 weeks ago
I miss Canada..
I miss Canada..
Grouchy
13 weeks ago
Internet bill
That sounds just like the rhetoric that the Liberals used when they stuffed the Registry down our throats. I fail to see how the police being able to read Grannys email without a warrant will help " protect " us at all, unless the ingredients for her meat loaf contain subversive items. Every one needs to go to this site and sign the petition,and send an email to their MLA protesting the erosion of our right to protection from the police, CSIS, and any other government agency that wants to spy on us.
http://openmedia.ca/StopSpying
DPL
13 weeks ago
sat morning the CBC reports
sat morning the CBC reports that Toews wasn't even aware of the contents of the bill he was bringing into parliament. and the clown is a senior cabinet minister. Sort of tells us, that harper sure can't pick em very well.
lowball
13 weeks ago
Irrelevant
Tony Clement says???? This guy lost all credibility a number of years ago.
Tahsis Tattler
13 weeks ago
Honesty????????
Would you invest your retirement funds with him? Exactly! Bozo is more trustworthy than this clown.
kmdyson
13 weeks ago
Watch
With all this fear rhetoric of possible subversive actions plotted via the internet...the Harper government is attempting to justify illegal actions against the citizenry...therefore we would be wise to watch the government very closely and make sure that all their subversive activities are broadcast far and wide...the Vikileaks expose of Mr Toews is a good example of this...and I hope it continues until Mr Harper and his minions are run right out of Ottawa...for all time...
Fiat lux
13 weeks ago
When I was in the equivalent
When I was in the equivalent of Grade 11, in 1943-44 in Hungary, my class organized and published a hand lithographed
2 page school paper. I was one of the editors.
We had to submit the planned contents of every issue and page to the government censors, who often cut out words, sentences and whole paragraphs.
In the name of "security", of course.
I expected the Harper gang to go wild this year, counting on the public to forget their conservative/fascist idiocies by the next elections, and they sure are on their way to realize their plans for a "Conservative Canada".
Ed Deak.
Ricky
13 weeks ago
One Problem, Ed
Your prediction for the Conservative strategy would be fair if not for the uncertainty of them expecting a second term from the get go. I think that they might not.
Look at Gordo: he doesn't give a fuck about his legacy. In fact, he's riding high as a High Commissioner, paid in fief.
Fiat lux
13 weeks ago
Ricky....I wrote "counting
Ricky....I wrote "counting on", or expecting, but the whole world seems to be finally waking up to the fraud of the present global economic system, collectivizing everything into the hands of criminals, posing as VIPs and "leaders", so their hopes may not work out.
At least we can hope and work toward that they they won't.
I'm sure there are the best directorships are waiting for Harper, the "economist", and the sooner he departs into them, the better.
Ed Deak.
crankypants
13 weeks ago
Grouchy
The mail writing campaign may be more effective if it were directed to the MPs in Ottawa rather than the MLAs in Victoria. An easy mistake as they are sometimes to differentiate.
I think that Harper & Co. have made a tactical error with this Bill. They have now got the attention of the group of voters that rarely excercise their franchise each election. You know, the younger generation that seems to have had their smartphones surgically attached to their hands.
Grouchy
13 weeks ago
Crankypants
Sorry about that. I did mean to say MPS. Must have been too early in the morning when I typed that.