Originally published by the NAAIJ on May 26th 2015 under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution International License
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Canadians are speaking out as loudly as possible against Bill C-51 with yet another National Day of Action to #StopC51. The main focus of the protest is to highlight some very simple demands and gather/march in Ottawa. It is surprising we need to demand our Government do something as basic as affirm and uphold the Charter, And yet here we are. Those very simple demands are as follows:
- Withdraw / Repeal Bill C-51
- Affirm and Uphold the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Honour the Treaties with First Nations and the Rights of Indigenous People
- Honour First Nations Right to be Consulted (Section 35)
- Stop racist legislation and fear mongering
A GoFundMe has been setup to assist with transportation costs from surrounding areas. At the time of writing it has reached $1,718 of its $2,000 goal. Donated funds will be used for: “Printing costs for posters and flyers, Equipment and art supplies for demonstrations, Secure travel”
An excerpt from the widely circulated Call to Action is as follows:
Enough is enough! Bill C-51 is part of a long string of initiatives to expand the government’s security powers and signals a dramatic new direction for Canadian security. Presented as anti-terror legislation, Bill C-51 creates excessive over reaching powers for security agencies, that will harm online innovation, political discourse, and our civil liberties.
The Conservative Government is rushing this bill through parliament without responsible parliamentary process. The actions of the government are degrading our democracy and our international reputation.
This bill disproportionately targets indigenous communities, environmental activists, dissidents, and Muslims, many of whom are already subjected to questionable and overreaching powers by security officials. Bill C-51 will make it easier and ostensibly lawful for government to continue infringing upon the rights of peaceful people.
“Bill C-51… is a dangerous piece of legislation in terms of its potential impacts on the rule of law, on constitutionally and internationally protected rights, and on the health of Canada’s democracy”
-106 Law professors from across Canada in and Open
Letter to the Government criticizing Bill C-51Any government that would propose legislation that is unconstitutional and undemocratic does not have the moral authority to maintain power in a true democracy. Generations before us have defended the rights and freedoms that are now in jeopardy.
In response people from the four directions will march in solidarity on Parliament Hill on May 30th to #RejectFear and call on Members of Parliament to;
-Withdraw / Repeal Bill C-51
-Affirm and Uphold the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
-Honour the Treaties with First Nations and the Rights of Indigenous People
-Honour First Nations Right to be Consulted (Section 35)
-Stop racist legislation and fear mongeringOur security lives in our solidarity, standing together for our rights and civil liberties, not in legislation that creates secret police and secret courts. Bill C-51 does nothing to protect Canadians, it actually will make us less safe.
“The powers of CSIS have always depended on how a ‘threat to the security of Canada’ is defined, and section 2 of the CSIS Act already has an extremely broad definition. This has been interpreted to include environmental activists, indigenous groups, and other social or political activists. Concerns are heightened with the proposal to grant CSIS a ‘disruptive’ kinetic role.”
-Canadian Bar Association#RejectFear and let’s stand together for the well-being of all the people on this land.
Here is a list of protest locations
Barrie Facebook Event Page
Calgary Facebook Event Page
Courtenay Facebook Event Page
Edmonton Facebook Event Page
Halifax Facebook Event Page
Kitchener-Waterloo (May 28th) Facebook Event Page
London Facebook Event Page
Montreal Facebook Event Page
Ottawa Facebook Event Page
Regina Facebook Event Page
Sudbury Facebook Event Page
Toronto Facebook Event Page
Vancouver Facebook Event Page
Victoria Facebook Event Page
Winnipeg Facebook Event Page
Some promotional videos as well as some flyers
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Nigel is also the Assistant Webmaster for the NAAIJ. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: nigel [at] naaij [dot] org [PGP] This article can be republished under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, With a link back to this article and attribution to Nigel Todman and the NAAIJ