Council of Canadians chapters are continuing to oppose the Harper government’s Bill C-51.
CTV reports, “Protesters gathered in cities across Canada on Saturday to rally against the government’s proposed anti-terror legislation, just days before the bill could face a final vote in the House of Commons. …The controversial legislation was introduced by the Conservative government in January, and is now headed for its third and final reading before the House when Parliament resumes next week.”
At least six Council of Canadians chapters took part in yesterday’s protests. They were the Hamilton, Windsor-Essex, London, Sudbury, Fredericton and Moncton chapters.
The article adds, “Bill C-51 would give CSIS the ability to expand no-fly list powers, allow police to have greater control in limiting the movement of a suspect and increase the amount of time they can be kept in preventative detention. It would also allow for increased intelligence sharing between law enforcement agencies. The NDP and the Green Party oppose the anti-terror legislation, while Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has said that his party will support it despite some reservations.”
And CBC notes, “Earlier this month, the Conservative Party said it will propose a handful of amendments to the bill to address those concerns. The likely amendments include provisions to narrow what is considered terrorism-related activity, as well as a section to clarify that CSIS will not have power of arrest. Despite the proposed changes, many at Saturday’s rally called for the entire bill to be scrapped.”
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Further reading
What’s in Harper’s proposed Bill C-51 ‘Security of Canada’ legislation? (February 2015 blog)
