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After a massive public outcry, the Conservatives have ditched their online surveillance bill once and for all.
Monday’s statements from the government mark the defeat of legislation that Public Safety Minister Vic Toews once advocated for by stating that critics of the bill had to decide whether they were “with us or with the child pornographers.”
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson explained that the controversial provisions the government had tried to push through with Bill C-30 will not be resurrected.
“This is a victory for privacy and for freedom,” said Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Couvukian.
OpenMedia.ca, which led a high profile campaign against Bill C-30, has issued the following statement:
We won! The government has finally listened to Canadians and killed online spying Bill C-30! Way back in June 2011 when we worked with Canadians from across the country to launch the StopSpying.ca campaign all the pundits and “experts” said we couldn’t win. Well Canada, you just proved them all wrong.
This is what the Minister said today: “We will not be proceeding with Bill C-30 and any attempts that we will continue to have to modernize the Criminal Code will not contain the measures contained in C-30, including the warrantless mandatory disclosure of basic subscriber information or the requirement for telecommunications service providers to build intercept capability within their systems,”
It doesn’t get that much more clear than that. We’ll stay vigilant and make sure they don’t try to bring this online spying plan back in pieces, but for now give yourself a pat on the back Canada.
The opposition to Bill C-30 stands as a rare successful effort to push back against proposed legislation by the Conservative government.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
