NDP vow to ‘get Liberals moving’ on C-51 promises
OTTAWA — New Democrats are urging the Liberal government to act on promises they made during the election campaign to amend Bill C-51, with public safety critic Randall Garrison accusing them of still supporting a “creature of the Conservative government.”
Garrison said Wednesday that this fall, he will submit a private member’s bill to parliament seeking to repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act, Bill C-51. The House of Commons is on summer break but will return Sept. 19.
While the NDP won’t find support from the governing Liberals for such a bill, nor from the Conservatives who originally introduced C-51, Garrison said he hopes it will “get the Liberals moving on their promises.”
Bill C-51 was a rallying cry for the NDP during last year’s federal election race, one that gained them significant traction early in the campaign. The Liberals, who had voted for the Conservative government’s bill without amendment, said if elected, they would increase oversight and repeal or amend parts of the bill itself.
The bill introduced sweeping new powers for Canada’s spy agencies and increased information-sharing among government departments, raising privacy and human rights concerns. Conservatives argued the legislation was necessary to enhance national security agencies’ ability to thwart terrorist attacks.
Short of seeing the bill repealed, Garrison said the NDP would look at any proposals brought forward by Liberals to “help protect basic rights of Canadians.” He called it “disturbing ” that the government hasn’t brought forward amendments yet.
Almost nine months in, no legislative changes have been made.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale fulfilled another election promise near the end of June by tabling legislation to create a parliamentary committee — with seven MPs and two senators — charged with studying national security activities. Existing oversight mechanisms, including the Security Intelligence Review Committee, will stay in place.
Garrison called Goodale’s committee proposal “not really independent” and “fairly toothless,” however. It contains escape clauses allowing the government to deny information on matters “injurious to national security.” That’s “almost Orwellian,” Garrison said, since those issues are exactly what the committee is supposed to examine.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says it’s already using the expanded powers afforded it by Bill C-51.
The head of CSIS, Michel Coulombe, testified at a Senate committee in March that CSIS had used its new powers just shy of two dozen times since the fall of 2015 to “disrupt” terrorist activities.
Still, “without effective oversight, we don’t have any idea whether Bill C-51 and its secret powers are being used effectively,” Garrison argued.
Instead of keeping Bill C-51 intact, Garrison said the NDP wants to see “adequate” funding for investigation and enforcement powers at RCMP and CSIS, as well as effective counter-radicalization programs in communities.
Goodale’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.