Conservatives ignoring “near universal” calls for “meaningful” C-51 oversight

Published March 30, 2015

So much for consensus. The Conservatives appear set to ignore calls for greater, “independent” oversight of Bill C-51 — the “near universal” recommendation made by witnesses to the House public safety committee. The government plans to introduce “limited changes” to their anti-terror law on Tuesday, while ignoring the bill’s biggest “flaw” identified by experts at C-51 hearings. In Question Period on Monday, Public […]

VIDEO: Charles Taylor says Stephen Harper’s divisive rhetoric assists terrorist recruiters

Published March 29, 2015

A Canadian giant in the field of political theory says Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s racially divisive rhetoric is undermining national security. Charles Taylor called what the Prime Minister is doing “very dangerous” and suggested Harper’s reckless language could contribute to radicalization by playing into the hands of terrorist recruiters. The world-renowned political theorist made the comments […]

After insulting critics, Conservatives effectively admit C-51 is a badly written bill

Published March 28, 2015

Did the Conservatives finally “read the bill”? After smearing critics of Bill C-51 as “conspiracy” theorists who are “quoting rumours” and “mistruths,” CBC News is now reporting the Conservative government will introduce “limited amendments” to their controversial anti-terror bill. Here’s how CBC’s Terry Milewski reported it Friday night: “CBC news has learned that one of these changes […]

Makers of Firefox web browser “strongly oppose” Stephen Harper’s Bill C-51

Published March 26, 2015

Bill C-51 will “undermine user trust, threaten the openness of the web, and reduce the security of the Internet and its users,” according to Mozilla, the creator of one of the world’s leading web browsers. The company behind Firefox says it “strongly oppose[s]” the Conservatives’ anti-terrorism bill. Prime Minister Stephen Harper might be thinking about switching to Google Chrome. (Though, […]

Conservatives are now calling criticisms of Bill C-51 “conspiracy theories”

Published March 24, 2015

Pop quiz! Your government’s controversial anti-terror bill is plummeting in public opinion polls. A lot of people are concerned the bill is too vague and too broad, and that it will erode civil liberties and result in unintended consequences. Do you: (a) Acknowledge their concerns and work speedily to improve the bill?(b) Claim there’s a “widespread misinformation” campaign of […]

VIDEO: Conservative MP ‘disagrees’ with Stephen Harper on C-51 oversight

Published March 23, 2015

A Conservative MP has broken ranks with the Prime Minister in calling for greater checks and balances in his own government’s anti-terrorism bill. Responding to a recent question about Bill C-51’s lack of oversight on community station TVCogeco, Conservative MP Michael Chong said, “I disagree with the government’s position on this. They’re of the view […]