Small businesses across Canada are speaking up to warn the government about the economic damage that its “secret police” Bill C-51 will inflict on our economy.
Since we first published a joint letter from 60 leading entrepreneurs, investors, and business people in the National Post last week, dozens of new businesses have joined our campaign calling on the government to scrap the Bill and go back to the drawing board.
Over 100 businesses large and small have now thrown their weight behind this rapidly growing campaign, from industry leaders like Payfirma to community-based small businesses like Whitehorse’s Alpine Bakery, Toronto app developers Shoebox, and Vancouver’s Ello Foods.
It’s clear from this response that Bill C-51 is sparking serious concern throughout Canada’s business community. It’s not hard to see why; Canadian companies worth several billion dollars, such as Slack, Hootsuite and Shopify warn that Bill C-51, if passed, will change Canada’s economic climate for the worse, notably by undermining international trust in Canadian commerce, trade, and data security.
This upsurge in opposition from small businesses couldn’t be more timely — committee hearings on the Bill are continuing in the Senate, while the House of Commons could hold its final vote in just days.
And, of course, the over 100 businesses now speaking out are part of an incredible nationwide effort that has seen thousands of letters sent to local newspapers, over 1,400 phone calls to MPs, over 12,000 letters to MPs, and of course over 204,000 who have signed our joint petition — making this already one of the largest campaigns in Canadian history.
It’s inspiring to see so many people from so many different walks of life come together around this. It just goes to show that privacy is really a core Canadian value. That’s why, despite the government’s increasingly desperate attempts to whip up fear, a solid 56 per cent majority of Canadians now oppose the Bill, with only one in three in favour.
We have the momentum, but with the final House of Commons vote imminent any day now, it’s crucial that we keep up the pressure. Keep spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter and remember, this is an excellent time to pressure your MP using our write-your-MP tool, and by phoning their office using this simple call tool from our friends at Leadnow.ca.
And, don’t forget, if you represent a business, large or small, and you’d like to show your support, you can sign on to the joint letter at StopC51.ca/business — and don’t forget to spread the word among your business networks.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
