Demonstrators in Jasper joined protestors across the country March 14, gathering to voice their opposition to Bill C-51.
In the middle of the afternoon, about 20 people gathered in front of the Jasper Information Centre in a chilly drizzle. Many held signs equating the bill to fascism and the dystopian future described in George Orwell’s 1984.
Anna Scott was one of those demonstrators. She said she is worried the bill will undermine freedom of speech by granting far more powers to Canadian Secret Intelligence Service, without putting in place proper checks and balances.
Bill C-51 was introduced in January and will grant new powers to Canada’s spy agency, which the government says will help fight terrorism in Canada.
If the bill passes at the end of March it will open up a new level of information sharing between 17 federal institutions. It will also give police powers that would allow them to preventatively detain or restrict people they suspect to be terrorists, ban the “promotion of terrorism,” allow the public safety minister to add people to Canada’s “no-fly list,” and enhance the powers of CSIS.
Like Scott, many detractors of Bill C-51 say that it gives far too much power to CSIS, with far too little oversight. They point to the provisions that give CSIS “disruptive” powers that allow them to act on intelligence, whereas in the past the organization’s mandate was mere observation.
And while Scott is worried about all of those things, she said that her opposition to Bill C-51 is about more than just one specific piece of legislation. She feels that the sweeping powers it grants to CSIS are just one more instance of the government eroding Canadians’ rights through legislation.
“This is just a larger baby step, it’s just that people are noticing this one because it’s a little bit more visible,” she said.
Another demonstrator, Randy Daniels, said that the bill contains too many provisions to be properly studied, a trick he said the current government often uses to push through unpopular legislation.
“[The government] passes these big huge omnibus bills that have way too much in them to even be studied by anyone who’s even half way educated,” he said.
Both he and Scott said they hoped that their demonstration would bring at least a little bit of attention to Bill C-51.
“I just hope we’re bringing recognition to some bad legislation that can affect all Canadians,” Daniels said.
Scott said that while their numbers were small, the fact that they “at least stood here and represented something, as a voice for the people” is significant.
Daniels agreed, urging Canadians to be more vocal in their criticisms of the government.
“If you don’t like what’s going on out there get engaged, the more people that are out there saying their point of view the better off we are.”
He said that, the fact that the demonstration was even happening at all was a testament to how strongly some feel about Bill C-51.
“I have lived in this country for a long time—in this town for a long time—and it’s very rare that we have a gathering of this nature. So it’s got to show you that finally we’re starting to realize what a bad government we have.”
Trevor Nicols
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