If you’re one of the millions of Canadians who oppose Bill C-51, you probably have a lot to say to decision-makers about your reasons why.
And this Thursday, November 3 at 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale will be on Twitter holding an “online discussion focusing on national security accountability” using the hashtag #YourNatlSec. It’s a huge chance for us to join our voices together and flood the conversation with pro-privacy messages — will you join us?
Whether it’s digital surveillance, censorship, the right to encrypt devices and communications, or government spying, it’s so important that we take this chance to tell Goodale what we want to change.
We need to show the government just how many people oppose this bill. And we need to make sure that they hear us when we say that C-51 must be fully repealed.
They’re sure to be hearing from a large number of pro-surveillance lobbyists — so let’s make sure that the united voices of ordinary Canadians are louder and stronger than ever before!
Read on for key tweets that you can send at the click of a button, and a larger collection of tweet ideas to get you started.
Within weeks of C-51 being announced, 300,000 people had already signed calls for it to be scrapped. Business leaders representing billions in economic production called for it to be withdrawn. Prominent Canadian artists and writers like Margaret Atwood warned about the worrying censorship provisions in the bill.
While Bill C-51 was rushed through “farcical” hearings by the House of Commons’ Public Safety Committee, thousands took to the streets in cities across the country in protest. It’s well past the time for this government to listen to what we really want — repeal C-51 fully!
The text of the government’s background paper for the consultation reads like a mass surveillance wishlist, using one-sided language that amounts to public relations for invasive surveillance. As the BCCLA’s Policy Director Micheal Vonn puts it: “in the main, it reads like it was drafted by a public relations firm tasked with selling the current state of extraordinary, unaccountable powers.”
Our government should put the needs of Canadians over the ever-present desires of police for increased surveillance powers.
How do we know that we are being heard? Day in and day out at OpenMedia, we’re hearing skepticism from our community. What assurances do we, the public, have that our voices are being heard, and this is not just an exercise in futility? We need a fully transparent process for sharing the results of these consultations so Canadians can ensure that any changes truly reflect the wishes of Canadians.
4. Privacy is security. We need you to stand up for Canada’s Digital Economy #YourNatlSec
For many Canadians, privacy is security, in the most human sense of that word. Repeated revelations of intrusive government surveillance have left Canadians fearful for their personal security. And measures that weaken our rights to personal encryption when threats from hacking are higher than ever before make us less safe, not more.
We need strong privacy rules such as those set out in Canada’s Privacy Plan to keep us all safe from government surveillance.
Need more ideas for questions, or want some killer statements? Check out our longer list of suggested tweets here.
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Image: Pixabay
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