OTTAWA - Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says legislation that would give police and spies easier access to information about Internet users is simply an attempt to bring the law into the 21st century.

He rejects NDP warnings that the bill threatens to turn Canada into a surveillance society.

Nicholson says the proposed changes will give police and security services the tools they need to deal with sophisticated cyber-criminals expert in hiding themselves on the Internet.

He says the new bill, tabled today, strikes a balance between giving the police new tools and protecting privacy rights.

It would also require telecommunication service providers to have the technical capability to allow authorities to intercept messages and conversations.

The Opposition NDP says the bill opens the door to snooping and police fishing expeditions.

"We are against this bill and we will fight this bill all the way," said New Democrat MP Charlie Angus. "Canadians are not criminals."

Nicholson said there are protections built into the proposed legislation.

"It will put in place safeguards to protect the privacy of Canadians," he said during a news conferences at Ottawa police headquarters.

The bill would allow authorities access to Internet subscriber information — including name, address, telephone number and email address — without first getting a court's go-ahead.

The proposed measures pit the desire of intelligence and law-enforcement officials to have ready access to information about people online against the individual's right to privacy.

At a news conference following the bill's tabling, Angus said the measures would give police a licence to go on fishing expeditions.

Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart and her provincial and territorial counterparts have publicly expressed concerns about a previous, similar incarnation of the legislation that died on the order paper.

When a Liberal MP asked Monday about the latest version, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said he could either stand with the government or with child pornographers prowling online.

Opposition MPs have denounced the minister's comments as an insult to those who care about civil liberties.

"I say to Vic Toews, 'Stop hiding behind the bogeyman. Stop using the bogeyman to attack the basic rights of Canadian citizens'," said Angus.

"I think Vic Toews has besmirched his reputation as a minister."

Green party Leader Elizabeth May said the minister's comments were an attack on those who support the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

"You're the worst form of scum if you believe the charter's an important instrument for the rule of law in this country," she said Monday.

"I'm horrified by this kind of rhetoric. It demeans us all."

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