MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2001

Council of Canadians Opposes Bill C-36

Hon. Anne McLellan, Justice Minister
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Dear Ms. McLellan,

At our recent Annual General Meeting, a resolution was passed expressing deep concern about the government's proposed anti-terrorist legislation, Bill C-36.

Among the concerns expressed by our members is that the government has not demonstrated to the Canadian public the need for the proposed legislation. At the same time as your government is re-assuring its American counterpart that the terrorists involved in the September 11th attacks had no ties to Canada, these attacks are being used as a justification for legislation that will seriously infringe on the civil liberties of all Canadians.

In recent years many progressive organizations in Canada, including the Council of Canadians, have been subject to surveillance for expressing dissenting views. We have also witnessed preventive arrests at the APEC meetings in Vancouver, in the streets of Quebec City during the Summit of the Americas, and just two weeks ago in Ottawa during the meetings of the G-20, IMF and World Bank. All of this has happened under, or in contravention of, existing legislation.

The sweeping powers given to law enforcement agencies in this legislation will only further the suppression of legitimate voices that need to be heard in public policy debates in Canada and internationally.

While there may indeed be need for some type of legislation to help prevent terrorism, Bill C-36 is simply too broad and too vaguely worded to allow for the freedom of expression that is so important in a democratic society while addressing potential terrorist threats.

We urge you to withdraw the proposed legislation and engage Canadians in a real public dialogue on how to counter terrorism while respecting our fundamental rights and freedoms.

Yours sincerely,

Maude Barlow
Volunteer National Chairperson