Category: Justice

The government fights for its "lawful access"

Across our newspaper chain today, I argue that the C-30, the government’s so-called “lawful access” legislation, is bad, that, “there is no excuse for this kind of intrusion on the privacy rights of Canadians and certainly not one from a government that says it champions the idea that the federal government ought to respect individual liberties and rights.” [Read my full column on this]

Last night, perhaps seeing that there were a great number of pundits criticizing this bill [here’s the Post‘s Matt Hartley, for one], one of the aides for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews circulated three examples Continue reading The government fights for its "lawful access"

Warrant-less wiretaps: What Toews says and what C-30 says

In the House of Commons Monday, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said this, in response to allegations that his about-to-tabled legislation, would allow police to obtain information about the online activities of Canadians without a warrant:

    Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that any outrageous claims that private communications will be intercepted without a warrant is a complete fabrication. Continue reading Warrant-less wiretaps: What Toews says and what C-30 says

Text of C-30: The bill that would allow warrant-less Internet wiretaps

Here is the text of the Bill C-30, tabled this morning in the House of Commons. Among its provisions, it would allow police to obtain customer data and other information from your Internet service provider (ISP) and other telecom provider without first obtaining a warrant from a judge. NDP MP Charlie Angus calls this “an unprecedented bill that undermines the privacy rights of Canadians.” Continue reading Text of C-30: The bill that would allow warrant-less Internet wiretaps

For the record: Industry Canada and lawful access (c. 2006)

On Sept. 11, 2007, I filed a request to Industry Canada under Canada’s Access to Information Act, asking that department for any memos, briefing notes or presentation decks that had the issue of “lawful access” as their main topic. [Here is a Justice Department FAQ page on the issue and here’s a decent summary of where things stand about now on this issue] I got the response to this request — all 391 pages of it — more than four years or, to be precise, 1,578 days after asking. By law, departments are supposed to respond within 30 days. Continue reading For the record: Industry Canada and lawful access (c. 2006)

Irwin Cotler: Legislation Rushed is Justice Denied

From Liberal MP Irwin Cotler:

While much has been written about the Conservative government’s omnibus
crime bill, C-10, little attention has been paid to one of its nine
constituent bills, the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, landmark
legislation that would allow – for the first time – Canadian victims of
terror to sue their terrorist perpetrators in Canadian courts.
I supported this legislation and had even proposed something similar in a
Private Member’s Bill during a previous Parliament. Regrettably, the
Government’s legislation was flawed Continue reading Irwin Cotler: Legislation Rushed is Justice Denied

Quebec says it will sue to maintain gun data

Game on over the gun registry…

Quebec wants to set up its own registry, but says the federal data is crucial because creating a registry from scratch would cost a fortune.

“I find it unjust and unfair … that the data will be destroyed without first offering the Quebec government the possibility of recuperating it,” Dutil told a news conference.

[Read the full story at: Quebec says it will sue to maintain gun data | Canada | News | Ottawa Sun.]