Tories fight changes to Bill C-51

Amendments lose

• The Conservatives used their majority on the House of Commons public safety committee to vote down the first wave of opposition amendments to the federal anti-terrorism bill.

Government MPs also won approval for a few changes they put forward Tuesday intended to clarify parts of the legislation.

But after more than six hours of clause-by-clause review, it was clear the government was not about to waver on core elements of the 62-page Bill C-51.

This would give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service more power to thwart suspected terrorist plots, not just gather information about them. It would also increase the exchange of federal security information, broaden no-fly list powers and create a new criminal offence of encouraging someone to carry out a terrorism attack.

In addition, the bill would make it easier for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to obtain a peace bond to restrict suspects’ movements and extend the amount of time they can be kept in preventive detention.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney says the legislation is needed to keep Canadians safe from jihadi-inspired attacks like the ones that killed two soldiers last October.

“These are terrorists who are threatening us, and we will fight them,” he said.

At committee, opposition MPs from four parties put forward dozens of suggested changes, but they were summarily defeated.

The committee has heard from almost 50 witnesses, many of whom suggested changes to the bill.

Civil libertarians and privacy advocates say the bill threatens the freedoms of ordinary Canadians.