The Spy Bill

Bill C-30. 

                As much as I’m hating this, I’m loving it. The imposition is almost worth the outcry. Almost.

                Harper’s government introduces a bill wrapped in the guise of a shield against child pornographers and online predators, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews declares in an oh-so-Conservative absolute: “either you’re with us, or you're with the child pornographers,” eighty million taxpayer dollars are earmarked for this project—to pay for what, no one can quite say, and those of us who despise the practices of this arrogant and corrupt government relish the outcry.

                For once, it appears Canadians are united. Olympic hockey and Bill C-30.

                Since forming an under-voted majority eight months ago, the Harper government has unleashed a flurry of mean-spirited, uncompromising and, (I’ll give ‘em this one), totally foreseen bills. They’ve limited debate, refused to respond to opposition (or the Opposition). I mean, why should they? They have a majority, and it’s not like a this is a democracy or anything. They’ve lashed out at any criticism with matter-clouding.

                Now, in the grandest show of hypocrisy, they’re letting you have your guns back and burning all gun records in the spirit of liberty, but they want access to your hard drives in the spirit of protecting your children. Freedom here, fascism there. Any of you who slapped my kids in the face with your wallets by voting for this party care to explain the schizophrenia to me?

                All defenses are hogwash. Giving the police full access to our online activity without needing a warrant is a Big Brother move, period. On Facebook I likened it to throwing a spike strip across the #1 Highway in order to stop speeders.

                I have to admit that I’ve learned to begrudgingly respect Harperco’s methods in appearing like a party without clinging to any ideological stances. Since the formation of his Progressive Conservative / Reform / Canadian Alliance coalition, Harper has striven to prevent another division of the right packaging all policy in a rhetoric of apparent “goodness for all Canadians.” The power has been in what they don’t say.

                He’s referred to his Reformer days—days where he took out newspaper ads attacking gay marriage, and railed against abortion—yet has not refuted that he once held these beliefs. He has said he will not renew debate over gay marriage or abortion, but he hasn’t openly endorsed or attacked them. It’s clever.

                Evil, but clever.

                People who know who he once was vote for his party, and they think he’s a Christian moralist forced into politics. True Conservatives vote for the party because they believe it will put money in their pockets, and that’s their only moral. Both groups feel he represents them first. He refutes neither, by implication backing both (in something of a contradiction). He has a majority (well, because we have a system that misrepresents elected MPs when considering number of votes, but also) because all Conservative policy has become grey.

When something as nasty as Bill C-30 is unleashed, they reword and repackage it, hiding the intrusive and playing up the protective. They won’t be honest about what they’re trying to do, but this time we haven’t been fooled, and it’s damage control. I’ll come to what good it’s going to do in a moment.

Why would they want this information? Well, pardon my cynicism, but during the spring campaign, Harper staffers refused people entrance to Conservative rallies because the individuals turned away were linked to the Liberal and NDP parties. How did the Cons know this? They’d been trolling people’s Facebook and Twitter pages, of course. True, if you want something to remain private, don’t put it on Facebook, but what sort of democracy is it if our government (or potential government) searches every corner of the Internet to ferret out dissenting opinions rather than face them head on? Mind you, what sort of government commits a crime in providing itself secret election funding, and wins re-election? What sort of democracy is it when our government sends phone calls to voters deliberately misdirecting them from polling stations in hotly-contested ridings?

The answer to all, frankly, is a crumbling one.

Bill C-30 is the perfect example of the kettle we’ve been dropped into, willingly. Stephen Harper and Vic Toews dictate policy, mask its intent, and prevent any meaningful debate on it in the House so the Harper-stacked Senate can ram it through.

Finally, as one, Canadians have had it and are voicing unified opposition to the spy bill. Sadly, we’re voicing it to a government that has never shown the slightest interest in listening to the people it governs. This is about one man’s ego trip, and about the acquisition and retention of power. The bill will become a law, and Internet freedom of all kinds, legal or no, enjoyed for nearly two decades in this country, will be profoundly altered.

We have forfeited our rights as Canadians to the interests of the worst prime minister and Cabinet we’ve seen since before World War 2, and we’ve done it without a fight. Almost like we deserve to toss our children’s futures into the gutter.

Hate to say I told you so . . .