When two Canadians, both associated with the military, were killed in separate attacks the immediate thought was that terrorists were at work and there may be more. Both deaths were senseless but they touched us deeply. The following Sunday we included roses at the front of our worship space to commemorate these men and at the conclusion of the service we sang our national anthem, O Canada.
All of us did wonder whether the two killers were associated with terrorist groups and if more could have been done to stop them. If they had been identified by police and security agencies, why weren't they apprehended before they created havoc. We know it could have been much worse.
Now there is legislation before parliament which will grant greater powers to authorities to respond to threats to national security. Bill C-51 is being debated now, and while that debate will be limited most Canadians don't care. Over 80% of us are in favour, although virtually no one really knows what the bill contains.
There are informed and thoughtful and non-partisan voices suggesting that this bill is actually not necessary because of current provisions under the law, and others asking for revisions to safeguard constitutional rights. Four former Prime Ministers and five former Supreme Court justices have raised concerns. But our federal government is not open to revisions and the government ministers who are the point men for this legislation bristle when any concerns are raised.
Among the questions is whether this legislation might be so broad that it would be used to squelch legitimate dissent. As Christians we should pay attention to this because there have been many occasions through the years where people of faith have been active in controversial protests, often treated as though they were terrorists. I still shake my head at the outrageous actions of police during the G-20 Conference in Toronto in 2010. Did any of us believe that orderly protesters and even innocent passers-by could or should be legally be kettled and even assaulted? And while many of us think "I have nothing to hide" in terms of surveillance, I'm not so sure we want the state to have the sort of access to our personal lives the legislation could allow.
Have you paid much attention to this bill and its implications? Is anyone else concerned?
Some good points, David, however I would like to address your concerns about apprehending suspects before they carry out their heinous crimes. It simply isn't that easy.
ReplyDeleteWe would love to be proactive and snag everyone who is about to commit a crime or terrorist act, and sometimes we do(ie the "Toronto 18"). However, without anything more than mere suspicion, our hands our tied. Believe me, from a law enforcement perspective, it can be very frustrating.
There isn't a police officer out there who isn't sickened by what happened to our soldiers in Ottawa and Quebec last year. Of course we wish these killers could have been taken off the streets beforehand. There are so many individuals out there about whom we have concerns, and when we have sufficient evidence and grounds, then we do make the arrest. These arrests do happen, and only occasionally make it in the news.
To give an idea of the scope of the problem, the Director of the FBI recently said there are ISIS aspirants in every State of the US. That means a lot of investigations. I don't think one can say that Canada is in a much better position.
Agreed Roger, and therein lies the challenge. As you say, law enforcement in various forms is often aware of those whose activities are suspicious or online words are inflammatory. But as a society we can't arrest everyone who is mouthy or might be dangerous. It was pointed out that the young people in Halifax who were planning to go on a killing rampage weren't on anyone's radar. They were foiled because one of them "outed" the others before killing himself. The role of police is almost overwhelmingly difficult in these uncertain times. Bill C-51 might help them, but many are uncertain that it would. Keep up the good work!
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