Senate expected to act next week on controversial Bill C-51

A final vote by the Senate expected next week again resulted in Canada-wide mass protest against repressive Bill C-51, which literally takes away Canadian civil rights, using jihadist as bogeymen and as a pretext of protecting Canadians.

The law will empower police and Canada’s intelligence services to take action against suspects and detained them without court hearing for two weeks. The detention is based on mere suspicion that at some future time a suspect may execute a terrorist act. The government can likewise demand a secret hearing where the suspect and his counsel are not allowed to attend.

At the same time, comments in media about terrorist groups outside of Canada can be basis for filing a court action as any violent activity can be lumped as terrorist action under the bill.

If a media columnist makes a comment to start a public discussion, public interest as a viable defense is not recognized under Bill C-51. Editors and production staff can be tagged as accessories to the criminal offense.

Several hundred people gathered together at the Vancouver Art Gallery to say “No” to Bill C-51, a controversial security legislation they say threatens the rights of all Canadians

“Freedom of speech is absolutely essential to Canadian democracy and this bill, in more ways than one, will criminalize freedom of expression” says one man. “I don’t support C-51 and it’s being forced through and rammed down our throats on the pretence of fighting terrorism.”

“I’m just against Bill C-51, I believe it’s against our human rights,” a woman tells News1130.

Bill C-51 defines “terrorist propaganda” as “any writing, sign, visible representation, or audio recording that advocates or promotes the commission of terrorism offences in general.” It does not define what terrorism offenses in general are.

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It goes on to say that, if a judge finds “there are reasonable grounds to believe that there is material — that is terrorist propaganda or data that makes terrorist propaganda available — stored on and made available to the public through a computer system,” the court has the power to make sure it’s deleted.

The Conservative Party had much earlier launched a propaganda ad that depicts Al Shabaab terrorists but with a blurb that promotes Bill C-51.

Defending the image, Conservative Party spokesman Cory Hann said “we should all be troubled when jihadi terrorists single out very specific locations in our country, and call on their followers to attack it.”

The image itself offers no cues or context as to who produced it or for what purpose (the image doesn’t even display the Conservative party’s logo, for example).

When the image of the Al-Shabaab militant’s ‘call to action’ is separated from an accompanying blurb and link to a petition about protecting us from the “threat of terrorism,” the image becomes virtually indistinguishable from the kinds of violent, radical propaganda floating around social media that C-51 is supposed to stamp out.

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But the propaganda accompanying the CPC image may be irrelevant in the eyes of the law, given the actual wording of the terror bill. Bill C-51 states that “communicating statements” that “knowingly advocates or promotes the commission of terrorism offences in general” is punishable by up to five years in jail.

So if there is a difference between quoting a terrorist’s call to arms to criticize terrorism rather than promote terrorism, Bill C-51 offers little clarity to this distinction. One can still be convicted for being reckless. Even a private conversation between two individuals can be used in filing a terrorist case. This proposed law can also be used to revoke Canadian citizenship although a re-write of immigration law by the Conservatives already allows it.

Jeremy Laurin speaking on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness says the first duty of any government is to protect its citizens.

“The international jihadi movement has declared war on Canada and terrorist organizations such as ISIS have directly targeted Canada,” he explains. “That is why our Government has put forward measures that protect Canadians against jihadi terrorists, and that is why we are not sitting on the sidelines – as the Liberals and NDP would have us do – and is instead joining our Allies in the international coalition in the fight against ISIS.”

He did not say that the Canadian government had earlier provoked such action as the Canadian forces are busy carrying out bombing runs in Iraq and Syria which is not consistent with Canada’s peaceful interest. In effect, the Harper government declared a de facto war in Iraq and Syria and is now threatening Canadian’s civil rights.

Gail Davidson with Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada takes issue with the federal government calling the legislation necessary. “[To] repress or stifle or suspend some of your civil liberties in order to protect you from gravely dangerous things that threaten the Canadian society. It’s just utter nonsense.”

Bill C-51 was passed in Parliament by the Conservatives and Liberals. It was rejected by the federal NDP, the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois and is now in the hands of the Senate.