VIDEO: Law expert says Bill C-51 gives Canada’s spy agency power to violate the Constitution

Published March 15, 2015

This might leave even James Bond shaken and stirred. Speaking Friday at a Parliamentary committee looking at Bill C-51, University of Ottawa law professor Craig Forcese demanded the Conservatives “amend the bill to remove any reference to the Charter being contravened by CSIS. WATCH VIDEO NOW: Forcese and his colleague Kent Roach have written extensively […]

VIDEO: Conservatives think terror law checks & balances are just “needless red tape”

Published February 2, 2015

Sure, critics say Canadians may be watching their country turn into a surveillance state. But here’s one thing they don’t need to worry about: the Harper government promises it won’t create “duplication” and “needless red tape” — specifically democratic checks and balances on Canada’s spy agency. Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney sought to put concerns about […]

Chuck Strahl’s defence: I’m no Arthur Porter

Published January 8, 2014

Updated Jan. 10, 2014 Canada’s top spy watchdog is trying to ride out a controversy over lobbying for Enbridge (and at least one other company that’s partnered with a Chinese-controlled firm to develop the tar sands in Alberta). Chuck Strahl, a former Conservative cabinet minister and current chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC), popped up […]

Canada’s spywatcher calls the ethics czar A LOT

Published January 7, 2014

This is getting interesting. First, the Vancouver Observer broke the news that former Conservative cabinet minister Chuck Strahl, chair of the Security Information Review Committee (SIRC) since June 2012, is Enbridge’s newest pipeline lobbyist in British Columbia. SIRC is Canada’s spy watchdog overseeing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), so Strahl has access to the […]

CSIS to Big Oil: never say never again to pipelines

Published January 6, 2014

The federal government and its spy agency spent half of the time at a classified national security briefing for energy companies to talk about “challenges” created by environmental groups, government records obtained by PressProgress show. And the theme of the day-long “classified briefing for energy and utilities sector stakeholders,” held in collaboration with Natural Resources […]

From spywatcher to pipeline lobbyist: the many hats of Chuck Strahl

Published January 5, 2014

Former Conservative cabinet minister Chuck Strahl has been very busy since leaving electoral politics in 2011. First, he was appointed as a director and chairman of the Manning Centre, an organization devoted to strengthening the conservative movement in Canada. The group helps the Conservative Party by training organizers and proposing right-wing policies. Then, his former […]