All the Canadian parliament parties have an interest in security. Since the Conservatives have passed Bill C-51, Anti-terrorism Act, there has been some controversy and dispute over the powers and agencies it establishes. The Bill was a response to some newly founded terrorist acts in Canada and the US. More importantly, Bill C-51 makes it illegal to promote terrorism and lowers the legal threshold required for police to arrest and detain suspected extremists without charge. It also allows agencies to exchange confidential information about Canadian citizens if it shows the potential to be a threat to Canadian national security. The Liberals promise to limit the powers of the Bill and amend it. The NDP (New Democratic Party) and Green party promises to repeal the Anti-terrorism Act and review Canadian National Security. Weighing the pros and cons within policing, the
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The Bill apparently creates, “a modern-day Gestapo” and takes away rights; “No exaggeration, that's what it creates. It chills, censors, and criminalizes free speech, free association, and constitutional rights of assembly”(). With the Act, people tend to think of the police or security agencies as a secret police that targets opposition to the government. This view furthers certain parts of communities from the police. As mentioned by many of my teachers, people do not always trust the police, especially immigrants. As mentioned by my father, Muslims might be a group that is discriminated against because of the recent historical events and the Anti-terrorism Act, so they will isolate themselves further from the mainstream communities. Opposition to C-51 did argue that the vagueness of the wording can have misleading interpretations (). The interpretations and powers may cause disagreement among the public and police officers, leading to mistrust and
The Bill apparently creates, “a modern-day Gestapo” and takes away rights; “No exaggeration, that's what it creates. It chills, censors, and criminalizes free speech, free association, and constitutional rights of assembly”(). With the Act, people tend to think of the police or security agencies as a secret police that targets opposition to the government. This view furthers certain parts of communities from the police. As mentioned by many of my teachers, people do not always trust the police, especially immigrants. As mentioned by my father, Muslims might be a group that is discriminated against because of the recent historical events and the Anti-terrorism Act, so they will isolate themselves further from the mainstream communities. Opposition to C-51 did argue that the vagueness of the wording can have misleading interpretations (). The interpretations and powers may cause disagreement among the public and police officers, leading to mistrust and