Vic Toews, the minister of public safety, is trending on Twitter thanks to his introduction of Bill C-30. But it's not a fame he's likely to be enjoying.
Bill C-30, the "Protecting Children From Internet Predators Act," would require internet service providers to give police their clients' names, addresses, phone numbers and IP addresses, without a warrant.
Online response was swift, especially the new Vikileaks site, which appeared Wednesday afternoon and by Thursday morning had over 7,000 followers. The site provided affidavits from the acrimonious divorce of Toews and his former wife, and then went to excerpt the judgment in a court case when Toews was found guilty of exceeding his spending limits in a 1999 election.
The hashtag #Vikieats appeared overnight, documenting what Toews has spent on travel and meals.
Twitter then generated TellVicEverything, in which tweeters are reporting to the minister everything they are doing. Globe and Mail columnist Tabatha Southey tweeted: "ovulating." On Thursday morning #TellVicEverything was at the top of Vancouver's and Canada's Twitter trends, with "Hey Vic" in 8th place in Vancouver. Nationwide, #TellVicEverything was far ahead of Jeremy Lin.
Toews himself tweeted on Wednesday: "I won't get involved in this kind of gutter politics. Engaging in or responding to this kind of discussion leads nowhere."
Liberal MP Justin Trudeau was quick yesterday to condemn the attack: "I want to express my support for @ToewsVic. The invasion of his privacy that @vikileaks30 represents is reprehensible. #LPCdefendsPrivacy." He then tweeted: "Just to reiterate my condemnation of @vikileaks30 (that's @vikileaks30) for being meanies towards the always nice and reasonable @ToewsVic."
Mainstream media have taken note of the twitterstorm. The Toronto Sun reported on it on Wednesday evening, and Global News followed up on Thursday morning. Stories have also appeared in The Globe and Mail and CBC News.
Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.


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DPL
14 weeks ago
Nasty man, and in his little
Nasty man, and in his little mind, he is right and anyone questioning him is wrong. another start in Harper's team. Nice pay for a jerk
snert
14 weeks ago
I see the winners
are just as gracious as they are in defeat. LOL
Art the Green
14 weeks ago
lol@ "I won't get involved in
lol@ "I won't get involved in this kind of gutter politics."
pianosaurus rex
14 weeks ago
how about this little nugget
from Trudeau:
“The invasion of his privacy that @vikileaks30 represents is reprehensible.”
I have numerous client files here that under the new BC privacy laws I must keep confidential. But now my privacy can be invaded; if I refuse to cooperate I am labeled a supporter of child pornography?
This is basically what Toews implied the other day; “you are either with the government or with the child pornographers…..”
Van Isle
14 weeks ago
If Mr. Toews won't get
If Mr. Toews won't get involved in with this kind of gutter politics, then what type of gutter politics does he get involved in with???? Typical trash-talking politician.
VivianLea Doubt
14 weeks ago
twittersphere...
I don't know what kind of new politics this represents, but #tellviceverything is the funniest thing to come along in a while. Some really great tweets, and well worth reading.
jimmmmy
14 weeks ago
vikileaks
toews, baird ,clement, harper are by definition gutter politicians. so me thinks thou do protest to much. also i think justen trudeau is proving to be incompetent. his daddy would have never backed down after deriding some political hack. he's done it twice recently. good job vikileaks , hanging out the dirty laundry of these moralizing christo-facists is the right thing to do.
cghzd
14 weeks ago
NeoCons getting their own
The Neo Cons are getting some of their sleaze back in spades and it looks real good on them.
OwlRol
14 weeks ago
Toews above gutter politics, hardly
The 2010 graduate of U. of Manitoba had it right when she lambasted Toews in her valedictorian's speech.
Tell me those attack ads on Dionne and Ignatief, despite no election writ, weren't "Gutter politics", please, anyone, tell me they weren't.
Tell me Joe's and Vic's "foreign terrorists" and "pedophiles" statements, to try and push through their ideological agendas, aren't "Gutter politics".
Meanwhile Stevie plays his smooth, above the frey, phony dignitary persona, while letting deputy John blow his enraged load again.
Time to get rid of these self righteous *#^s.
Bruno96
13 weeks ago
Facism IS Corporatism
I just heard flushing noises in regards to Toew's & Trudeau's
respective political careers.
crankypants
13 weeks ago
Observation
The Harperites sure love to dish it out, but sure as hell can't take it.
snert
13 weeks ago
I see
they've already tracked down the IP# where the posts originated. The individual who started this whole affair will probably be next. Oh well, as long as they get a warrant who cares, I suppose.
People have to stop thinking they are invisible on the internet.
Bailey
13 weeks ago
How do you tell if there's an elephant in yer fridge?
I just have to notice that quite a lot of North Africa just successfully removed corrupt and evil politicians on twitter. Gadafi was torn limb from limb.
Can anyone possibly think that the timing of this government's push to control the internet is coincidental? I mean, what could possibly be their motivation here, since the pedophile accusation is such an obvious falsehood?
lynn
13 weeks ago
Cons and Peepers
This devious move against our right to privacy/freedom under such a false pretence.... along with the Harperazis silencing/muzzling of scientists...well, shouldn't bells and buzzers be going off across this land?
VivianLea Doubt
13 weeks ago
#TellVicEverything
I highly reccomend checking out the twitter feed for this hashtag. It is entertaining, but it might also restore your faith in Canadians.
cyberhino
13 weeks ago
Minister of Moral Hygiene
This whole thing is so delightfully Rhino. There's still hope for our beleaguered Dominion.
crankypants
13 weeks ago
Snert
If the information released by Vikileaks is factual then he or she cannot be charged with anything. And sometimes the truth hurts.
The other thing about this Bill, which was revealed today on the evening news was the fact that the government could give anyone they choose the same powers the police would have. What better way of spying on one's political opponents and those that oppose government policies.
As in most cases with our governance, the devil is always in the details.
snert
13 weeks ago
crankypants
You are correct but the distributor of such info can certainly be disciplined for improper use of company equipment. Also there is the not so small matter of harassment. Lawyers can bankrupt a person pretty quick if that person should lose in court.
Although the jury is still out on exactly what will be in the bill if it ever passes, the 1000 Year Reich seems to have caved on it's original content. That seems highly out of character from what a lot of fear mongers are trying to say.
There is always the possibility of a self fulfilling prophecy out there, somewhere, I suppose.
pianosaurus rex
13 weeks ago
election strategies
During an election period who will have the emails the Conservatives will want desperately to read? Would that be the opposition’s emails?
Oh it will be the police that will be intercepting you say.
Well of course; and the police do not vote conservative nor are they corruptible. We all know this in BC from the forthright honesty we get from the likes of Monty Robinson etc…