A day of action is taking place today to rally against Bill-C51 – the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Rex Isaac, the federal NDP candidate in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex for the upcoming fall election, said people in the community can expect people coming door-to-door today, Saturday April 18.
“The NDP has a national day of action on Saturday all day,” Isaac told the Sydenham Current. “Our main focus of the day of action is to let people know that the NDP is out there and we’re ready for this upcoming election, but the main thing is we want to bring attention to Bill C-51. We know there has been a lot of information that isn’t out there, so we’re going to provide some information and hopefully some clarity on issues surrounding Bill C-51.”
What is Bill C-51?
The Parliament of Canada website states: “An Act to enact the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act and the Secure Air Travel Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts.”
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP Bev Shipley, a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, released information recently about the Anti-Terrorism Act.
“As we all know, we’re still dealing with serious threats to our country that our government will deal with head on. The terrorist attacks of October 22nd in our nation’s capital and two days prior in Quebec, certainly changed the reality of threats to Canadian security. Clearly Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism. Our government has introduced the Anti-Terrorism Act, which includes new measures that are both strong and practical, to enhance our country’s security and to keep Canadians safe.”
Shipley added to go in line with measures taken by Canadian allies, the government is taking additional action to ensure law enforcement and national security agencies can for example:
– Counter those who advocate terrorism;
– Prevent terrorist travel and the efforts of those who seek to use Canada as a recruiting ground
– And disrupt planned attacks on Canadian soil.
The third and final vote on C-51 is expected to occur shortly after Parliament resumes on April 20.
“The NDP is the only party that has been consistently opposed to the bill,” Issac said. “We’ll be going around door-to-door canvassing the areas in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. We might not reach everybody, but we’re going to reach as many doors as we can.”
During the last week starting on April 13, many people across Canada have launched a campaign called a Week of Education to Stop C-51.
The group says the government is about to ram through a “secret police” Bill C-51 that is:
1. Reckless – It turns CSIS into a ‘secret police’ force with little oversight or accountability.
2. Dangerous – It opens the door for violations of our Charter Rights including censorship of free expression online.
3. Ineffective – It will lead to dragnet surveillance and information sharing on innocent Canadians that even Stephen Harper has admitted is ineffective.
