Richard Hub Hughes-Political Blogger I am a life long New Democrat and I am appalled at the ‘weak as water’ positioning that the Thomas Mulcair led NDP have offered in regard to the Harper anti terror Bill C 51, a bill that will, if passed, turn Canada into a CSIS Police
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Cowichan Conversations: Ewart-Dangerous new powers for federal government? – Part 1
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Most Canadians have heard something about the new so called ‘Anti Terror’ legislation Bill C 51 but what we have failed to hear is opposition political leaders, excepting Elizabeth May, speaking up and effectively challenging this unprecedented attack on the rights and freedoms of Canadians. Elizabeth May rings
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Even the Globe and Mail is Alarmed Over Harper’s Surveillance-Anti Terror Bill C-51
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger The Liberal and NDP response to PM Stephen Harper’s far reaching attempt to decimate Canada’s civil rights and privacy laws left a lot to be desired. Justin Trudeau rolled over in support and showed us up close that he has a long way to go before he is ready to assume
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Joe Gunn reminds us that ignoring the issue of poverty won’t make it go away. And Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on a national campaign demanding a plan to deal with poverty at the federal level. – Roderick Benns discusses the prospect of a
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Anatomy of a Homicide Investigation
Just as Ms Soapbox was fretting over Prime Minister Harper’s decision to appoint former CSIS director Richard Fadden to the newly created post of National Security Advisor she received an invitation from Assentio Mentium. Assentio Mentium is a program offered by the U of C law school to engage lawyers,
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Harper’s new terror laws must respect Canadians’ fundamental rights: watchdogs
Canada’s provincial and federal privacy commissioners are warning the Harper government against using the recent shootings in Ottawa and Quebec as a pretext to attack Canadians’ fundamental rights. The post Harper’s new terror laws must respect Canadians’ fundamental rights: watchdogs appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: RCMP + CSIS – Add Water and Stir. Voila, the Stasi Lives Again
They were East Germany’s dreaded secret police. They spied on ordinary East Germans, tapped their phones, intercepted their mail, assessed their ‘reliability’, used informants, kept dossiers on persons of interest and ordinary citizens alike. The hated Stasi fell with the Berlin Wall but they live on – in
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: RCMP Warning Of Oil and Gas Attacks
.@DavidMcLA @mikedesouza Remember, the RCMP are experts at critical energy infrastructure terrorism. http://t.co/6MhPHIS97R #Oil — Saskboy K. (@saskboy) September 15, 2014 The RCMP would know. @DavidMcLA does it tie into this? http://t.co/dfZpU7AxgT — Mike De Souza (@mikedesouza) September 15, 2014
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Digital Journal: What will it take for CSEC spying to spark more outrage?
In this hard-hitting op-ed, George Arthur asks what it will take for Canadians to get answers about out-of-control spy agency CSEC. Article by George Arthur for the Digital Journal This is the question I am left with as I consider what it will take for Canadians to demand answers about
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: The Day We Fight Back
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Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: That Old Joke
How can you tell a spy is lying to Parliament? Their lips are moving. Or at least I’d assume they were moving while he was telling us that they didn’t conduct mass spying on Canadians, while also defending illegal mass “meta-data” spying on us. MT @CBCAlerts "#CSIS says they don't
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: Being a good guy doesn’t excuse Chuck Strahl’s lack of judgment
I don’t know Chuck Strahl, but I’ve always thought he seemed like a pretty good guy, all in all. He certainly has won many friends on all sides of the political fence and in the pundit class, and they were quick to shower him with praise last week when he
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: There’ll be no help from Mary Dawson
Ethics Commissioner Distances Herself From Strahl Complaints Mary Dawson, the Federal Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner released a statement today distancing herself from recent complaints filed as a result of SIRC Chair Chuck Strahl engaging in lobbying activities for Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines while serving in his appointed function
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Jim Stanford writes about the myth of a labour shortage in Canada: In this context of chronic un- and under-employment, it is jarring that so many employers, business lobbyists, and politicians continue to complain about a supposed shortage of available, willing, and adequately
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: For What It’s Worth
There’s something happening here What it is ain’t exactly clear There’s a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware Paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you’re always afraid You step out of line, the man come and take you
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Thomas Walkom points out that many Canadians can expect to lose jobs without any social supports due to the Cons’ focus on political messages over real-life impacts. And Blake Zeff offers a reminder that while progressive economic policy may be receiving more attention
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – George Monbiot criticizes the UK Cons’ latest effort to outlaw any form of individual action or expression which might intrude upon the corporate bubble: The existing rules are bad enough. Introduced by the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act, antisocial behaviour orders (asbos)
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Toronto Star: Independent Investigation of CSIS oversight is needed
This hard-hitting piece by Professor Michael Geist argues for a full, independent investigation into CSEC’s spying activities. As Parliament is set to resume shortly, the time has come for MPs to take a far greater interest in what our security services are doing in our name. Will 2014 be the
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: It’s business as usual at CSIS
The Postmedia article reporting it describes it as part of a shakeup in the ranks, but the announcement that Michel Coulombe has been formally named as director at CSIS looks like more of the same to me. Five months ago, when Richard Fadden was moved over to the DND, Coulombe
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: "a substantial substitute for full disclosure"
Is there a precedent in the making here? A lawyer for the federal government argued before the Supreme Court of Canada yesterday that there is such a thing as “a substantial substitute for full disclosure” and that the security certificate process, as currently constituted, meets that standard. So when someone
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