The Editor,
The Wellington Advertiser
Dear Sir,
This letter is in response to Michael Chong’s ‘Comment From Ottawa’ article entitled, ‘Anti-terrorism bill is needed’.
I am glad that Mr. Chong recognizes the need for increased oversight but I doubt that even if revisions are made, the bill will go nearly far enough to address this shortcoming. In particular I would not want to see provisions that allow Mr. Harper to appoint a panel of cronies and yes-men to provide oversight. Oversight is needed on several levels including independent judges with familiarity with both this proposed law and the Charter to ensure that personal privacy and freedoms are respected. A Parliamentary Committee of MPs should have the power to delve into the activities of law enforcement agencies on a regular basis to ensure that they are not overstepping their authorities. Statistics should be compiled and made public on how many enforcement actions have been taken and their disposition (e.g. how many people were arrested or detained and what were the final outcomes, how many terrorist acts intercepted, how many intrusions into the private affairs of Canadians to chase down terrorists, how many hacks into computer systems, etc). Surely this can be done in a way that protects legitimate security related activities while allowing proper public scrutiny.
There are other problems with this legislation. We know that people who care about the environment have been called terrorists by the Harper government. Therefore the definition of terrorist needs to be expanded to include anti-environment politicians (Messrs Harper and Oliver come immediately to mind). There should also be provision in the bill that if there is documented evidence that a person has left Canada of their own free will to join a terrorist organization abroad, then their passport and citizenship can be revoked. Since those individuals disrespected Canada and Canadian values so much that they felt compelled to leave, they should cease to enjoy the rights and privileges associated with Canadian citizenship.
Finally, it didn’t escape me that this is yet another omnibus bill. So I am compelled to ask – what other draconian measures are hidden in the fine print?
V. Shantora
Elora, ON
Victor Shantora