More conservative attacks on Canadians rights

[Cobalt_Kid]

The conservatives were caught once again busily chipping away at the rights and freedoms generations of Canadians have worked to bring us. This latest case involves the conservatives seeking to obtain personal information about online activites of Canadians without independent oversight or warrants.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070912/spying_internet_070912/20070912/

Philippa Lawson, of the Canadian Internet Public Policy Interest Centre, agrees the status quo is serving police well.
"We know from history that the more powers you give law enforcement agencies and the government, the most potential there is for abuse," she said.
Geist said that a customer's name and address can serve as a "lynchpin" for other personal data. For example, if police can link an IP address to a specific person, they suddenly gain the ability to track their activity on the Internet.
"From an individual Canadian's perspective, their privacy and their concerns about how that information could be used and conceivably misused, suggests that it's important to ensure we do have some oversights in place," Geist said.

I just listened to Stockwell Day on CBCs Searh Engine and he used the tired old conservative practice of blaming the Liberals. The Liberals had also looked at this issue in 2002 and 2005 but did it in a open and public fashion, unlike the dishonest process under Harper. This is just one more instance of a PM who wants to do everything out of the public light as he increases his own personal power.

If Days contention that he had no idea this was going on in his own ministry is true he should step down. If he's lying and is trying to violate our right to privacy at Harpers direction they both should step down. This behaviour is unacceptable in a just society.

In the last few months we've seen police masqarading as protestors at a federaly controlled summit trying to turn a peaceful demonstration into a riot, a conservative MP here in BC trying to muscle an NDP MP out of his own riding and now the conservatives undertaking secret intiatives that could remove our right to privacy.

Sounds like fascism to me.

 

[gerryh]

The best way to take control over a people and control them
utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode
rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible
reductions. In this way the people will not see those rights
and freedoms being removed until past the point at which
these changes cannot be reversed

- Adolph Hitler

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

Bet Harper read Mein Kampf, he seems to have a deep understanding on how to neutralize the controlling influence our democracy has on despots taking total control.

That or he's taking his instructions from Bush who's busy removing the inconvienance of democracy in the US.

 

[Unforgiven]

Facism is exactly what it is and Harper and his cronies are at the bottom of it.
Having to go before a judge and seek an order to gain that information is just fine with me. If it clearly a breech then the order will be easy to obtain. If they just want to send more people to Syria for a little R&R (Rape and the Rack) then they should have to prove that is the right thing for Canada in every circumstance.

 

[Locutus]

Not to mention all those phone numbers that Radio Shack has collected over the years.:lol:

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

You can get a persons phone number from a directory, the conservatives want access to personal information not available through normal means without any oversight the same way Bush is doing it in the US.

 

[gerryh]

You can get a persons phone number from a directory, the conservatives want access to personal information not available through normal means without any oversight the same way Bush is doing it in the US.

They've obviously all read the same book.

 

[goat]

It is my understanding that the original request was to be able to access records without a warrant. Naturally this had the whole hearted support of your true fascists, the police.

Since then Michael Geist and others shouted long and loud and the Conservatives backed off sufficiently in that warrants are now required.

As they should be.

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

They've obviously all read the same book.

Yup

It is my understanding that the original request was to be able to access records without a warrant. Naturally this had the whole hearted support of your true fascists, the police.

Since then Michael Geist and others shouted long and loud and the Conservatives backed off sufficiently in that warrants are now required. So much for making the Canadian government more open and accountable, the conservatives are building a police state.

We're in the bizarre situation where the party that claimed it was going to make the Canadian government more open and accountable is doing the complete vererse.

As they should be.

When the Liberals were going through the same consultive process in 2002 and 2005 they made public announcements and posted documents. The conservatives notified no one and asked those being consulted not to reveal the fact this initiative was even underway. Now that they've been caught Stockwell Day is blaming the Liberals who have been out of power for over a year and a half.

The conservatives are simply not credible in this incident and it raises some very serious questions about where they want to take this country in the future. So much for a more open and accountable government.

 

[eh1eh]

Conservitives want you to serve them and what they beleive in. The right wing says anyone that doesn't beleive in god and jesus is immoral and going to hell. WTF. The earth is still spinning Bush?:x

 

[wallyj]

This whole process was started by the libs and unfortunately has been continued by the conservatives. This is not a good thing. I would hope that the other parties and the civil liberty guys will start yelling about this crap.

 

[Cosmo]

This is obviously Canada's version of the "Patriot Act" that Bush and buddies put into place in 2001. If anyone hasn't read on that piece of work, I suggest you do so. There are zillions of places to get the info. One of the quick and dirty ones is Wikipedia, found here.

In the US this was originally intended (or at least presented) as a temporary measure to increase the safety of the country against terrorists. After 9/11 people were terrified and the Act passed with one vote against and one absention ... otherwise it was passed by unanimous vote.

There was a "sunset clause" to ensure it was a temporary measure. It had to be reauthorized in 5 years, which looked like a safeguard that would prevent the government from trampling rights beyond the point of necessity. The Act was passed through Senate again in 2006. So much for the safeguards, eh?

In typical fashion, Canada is straggling along behind the US, even in rights violations. I need to do more reading on our version of this piece of work, but I did read the PDF file included in the OP's quoted source. Scared the bejeepers out of me.

Gerryh ... I've been saying the same thing since Canada went ape sh*t and started with the gun registry laws. Nibble away at the rights until they are no longer strong enough to support the people and you have effectively converted a democracy into a dictatorship. No one is any the wiser till it's too late. Anyone speaking out against these seemingly minor infringements gets called a crackpot, a part of the tinfoil hat brigade, and worse.

I don't know what can be done to prevent this from happening here in Canada, but I do know I intend to ask my internet provider about their policy on privacy. Would they give up the information without a court order? If so, I will switch providers. It's a small thing but it is something I can do on a personal level.

I also think that threads like this at boards like CC go a long way toward educating people and getting folks to at least think about their rights.

The old, "I'm not doing anything wrong so who cares" attitude just doesn't wash here. I dont' do anything wrong, wouldn't care a bit if my entire surfing history was published for the world to see ... it's the principle of the thing. It won't stop at handing over my IP, my surfing habits, my library usage. This is the tip of a very nasty ice burg and I don't want to play Titanic with it.

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

This whole process was started by the libs and unfortunately has been continued by the conservatives. This is not a good thing. I would hope that the other parties and the civil liberty guys will start yelling about this crap.

The liberals started the process as a response to the new mode of communication on the internet and lack of legislation to regulate it. When they were consulting law experts they included the public and privacy rights groups.

The conservative on the other hand who got elected to reform our government to make it more accountable and transparent have chosen to go in the other direction. Not only were they making their "public" consultations without notifying anyone, they asked the law professors who opinions the were seeking to to keep the entire process secret. We would have found out about the new policy after it was too late to do anything about it, which is the pattern of this powerhungry and democracy hating government.

 

[Cosmo]

Cobalt ... Does it really matter so much who started it as who ends it? I don't care which side of the political playing field lobbed the first ball on this one, the issue at stake is our freedoms. I doubt either side is going to do the right thing unless people speak out against this travesty.

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

Cobalt ... Does it really matter so much who started it as who ends it? I don't care which side of the political playing field lobbed the first ball on this one, the issue at stake is our freedoms. I doubt either side is going to do the right thing unless people speak out against this travesty.

No it doesn't really matter...and I don't think it going to end.

We've lost control of our political system to corporate interests with very deep pockets that care nothing at all for our individual rights.

 

[wallyj]

It doesn't really matter who started it as it is an incredibly bad move. I brought up that it was originally a lib idea because of the slanted title of this thread.

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

The Tories' actions here are a good reason to vote against them in the next election.

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

It doesn't really matter who started it as it is an incredibly bad move. I brought up that it was originally a lib idea because of the slanted title of this thread.

Slanted how?

Harper and his government have been making it clear through their actions and lack of accoutability how little respect they have for our open and democratic system. They've taken on a US Republican style approach to media manipulation and a dictatorial manner. Now they're attempting to remove some basic privacy rights behind the scenes and when caught at it blamed the Liberals.

I stand by the title, as far as I'm concerned the conservatives are a much greater threat to our rights and freedoms than the Liberals ever were.

 

[YoungJoonKim]

And I loved conservative..when I wasn't educated

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

They're not really conservatives anymore anyway, they're mutated reformers.

The real conservative party ended when Peter MacKay sold out the people who selected him PC leader.

The whole party is based on dishonesty, remember how much they screamed about Liberal partonage in Quebec, where does the bulk of federal-provincial funding go now...to buy votes in Quebec.:roll: