Originally published by the NAAIJ on Jun 12th 2015 under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution International License
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I have to admit, I’m a little surprised.
I couldn’t find even one Canadian to speak to me in support of C-51.
I spent the greater part of the day looking – taking a break for a few hours to participate in a Town Hall on the Future of the Internet by OpenMedia.
During this entire time a standing request for pro-C-51 comments has been floating around the pages of both the Conservative Party of Canada and the Liberal Party of Canada and various articles concerning the passing of C-51. (The CPC had at least double the time of the LPC, I wasnt seeking any specific ‘official’ supporters – Literally ANY Canadian)
The response? Silence. Absolute crickets.
Looks like I’ll have to resort to social media comments, of which there is only a few and they are all quite similar and very weak, What makes them so weak? Well, for starters, anytime you parrot the ideology of Nazi Germany Propagandists as a defense for actions or beliefs … You lose the argument.
Can you tell the difference between a 2015 Canadian C-51 Supporter and a 1940’s Germany Nazi Propagandist? Let’s find out.
“If your not doing anything wrong than you have nothing to worry about”
“If you’ve nothing to hide, You’ve nothing to worry about”
“People must have something to hide not liking this law”
“Unless you are a _____ist you have nothing to worry about”
“Thank God. It’s amazing how people get angry at this when the Government is actually doing something to stand up against people who are bent on destroying anyone who doesn’t think and believe like them. We have been tolerant long enough. I’m thankful that H__er is working at protecting our border.”
“Heil H__er!! I agree with this law”
Plot twist. None of these are quotes of German Propagandists. They are all Canadian supporters of C-51. It’s pretty tough to tell the difference isnt it? In that last one, Just replace Heil with ‘Go’ and fill in the blank with Harper. You can find the original comments here
Believe me, I would have much rather written this article poking holes in any reasoned, logical argument in favor of C-51. Instead, We have this. (I dont really need to poke holes in these arguments do I? … I thought we did that in World War II)
This is what Hitlers Minister of Propaganda said after the “passing of the authorization bill in the Reichstag by an overwhelming majority of two thirds” that “clearly prove the legality of our action”
To critics of the bill, He said “I have nothing to hide and nothing to colour, for this young Germany has no reason to fear”.
It just sends chills down your spine doesnt it? That here and now, Today in Canada we have citizens proudly echoing such sentiments?
Bill C-51 passed the Senate by a vote of 44 to 28, Coincidentally, the same ratio as the Reichstag authorization bill. This, In spite of the quarter of a million plus (268,353 at the time of writing) Canadians that spoke out very vocally against the bill. Join the rest of Canada here
It shames me as a Canadian that current events bear so many parallels to one of the darkest times in recent human history. It disturbs me how little I had to work to make these so readily apparent comparisons. Indeed I’m not the only one making them. In my search for C-51 supporters I saw at least a dozen people took the time to take some of these Canadians aside and say ‘Hey listen, You know who you sound like right?’
Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: veritas [at] vts-tech [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