Author: David Christopher

This article by our David Christopher was originally posted in Common Ground Magazine and in Rabble  It’s rare in Canadian politics to see intense public interest in government legislative proposals — let alone to see Canadians take to the streets in the tens of thousands to protest a piece of legislation

This just in: It looks like we’re down to the last few days for Bill C-51 in the House of Commons. The House is due to hold a Report Stage debate on the Bill on Monday, a vote to move it to Third Reading on Monday evening, a Third Reading

Thanks to you, and countless thousands of other Canadians, our #StopC51 Week of Education to #RejectFear and #StopC51 was a smashing success. In all our time at OpenMedia, we’ve never seen numbers quite like these: over 2,200 letters sent to local newspapers, over 1,400 phone calls to MPs (thanks Leadnow!),

What an amazing week! In the space of just a few short days, tens of thousands of Canadians have spoken up as part of our Week of Education to #RejectFear and #StopC51. We couldn’t be more grateful for the support – it comes at a crucial time, as we’ve just

  Stephen Harper is trying to ram his Secret Police Bill C-51 through Parliament in the next few weeks – so it’s crucial that MPs hear from Canadians.    Have you ever written to your MP before? It’s a lot easier than you might think – and we’ve made it

Toronto! Wow! Remember to tweet your images of today’s rallies at #RejectFear and #StopC51 – we’ll pick them up and share them on.  We have rallies in all 10 provinces + Yukon + NWT – find your local event here: we.leadnow.ca/stopc51-om  read more

  Privacy expert Michael Geist has reviewed Stephen Harper’s Secret Police bill – and he doesn’t like what he sees. He concludes this bill will give the government “near-total power to share information for purposes that extend far beyond terrorism with few safeguards or privacy protections.” – Speak out at

Own a cell phone? You should read this. Article by Dominic Rushe for The Guardian American and British spies hacked into the world’s largest sim card manufacturer in a move that gave them unfettered access to billions of cellphones around the globe and looks set to spark another international row

Will your private life be under the government’s microscope if the Secret Police Bill is passed? Don’t forget to speak out at https://OpenMedia.org/Spyonus Article by Press Progress Don’t worry. The Harper government won’t get “bogged down” down in legal definitions of terrorism — Justice Minister Peter MacKay even told reporters

Tens of thousands are speaking up to help stop Stephen Harper’s Secret Police Bill in a movement that’s bringing together Canadians from across the political spectrum. Here’s how one grassroots principled Conservative, Joe Jesso, is pushing back – he’s sent this hard-hitting letter to his local MP Gary Schellenberger. We’re

  Great news Canada! – thanks to your pressure, the NDP have decided to formally oppose the government’s Secret Police Bill C-51. Momentum is building around this in a way we just haven’t seen before – let’s keep it up! Remember to send Harper a message at OpenMedia.org/SpyOnUs   Article

The U.S. NSA is deliberately infecting thousands of computers around the world with invasive spying malware that’s impossible to remove. It seems not a week goes by without a new revelation about how spy agency surveillance has grown secretive, expensive, and out-of-control. Speak out at OpenMedia.org/spyonus Article by Joseph Menn for