I am concerned about the Harper government’s secret police bill and that our MP is blindly supporting this draconian measure. Bill C-51 is reckless, dangerous and ineffective.

It is reckless because it turns the already under-scrutinized CSIS into a secret police agency without effective oversight or accountability.

The bill is dangerous because it creates an open door for authorities to violate our Charter of Rights including censorship and free expression online.

The bill is ineffective because it will lead to dragnet surveillance and information sharing on innocent Canadians that even the PM himself admits is ineffective.

Fully 50 per cent of Canadians oppose this bill. As more Canadians learn about what is in this secret police bill, more Canadians are opposing it.

If the bill in its current form passes, 17 government agencies would be able to share sensitive private information (yours and mine) amongst themselves and even with foreign governments. This sensitive and private information includes not only our financial affairs, but also our medical history, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and political beliefs. This is not information I think we should allow government agencies to collect, store and share as they wish.

Government agencies will be able to spy on anyone in the database at any time and the government would have no obligation to tell us we are or were being investigated. This is wrong and undemocratic.

I ask this question: Do we really want the government to create a shadowy and unaccountable secret police force that will trample on innocent citizens’ freedoms?

I say no. These new spying powers are highly unpopular: 71 per cent of Canadians do not want to trade their privacy rights to give spy agencies more power. Over 110,000 people have already spoken out. The government admits Bill C-51 is fundamentally flawed. The government should do the right things and withdraw the legislation and go back to the drawing board.

David Hedmann

Whitehorse