There is mounting opposition to the Liberal government’s new bill to bolster border security, with critics raising concerns about threats to privacy and civil liberties.
Opposition parties criticized the new Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, in second reading in the House of Commons on June 5. While parties agree on the need to crack down on criminal activities involving the border, there are concerns the bill is going too far in granting new powers to security agencies.
The bill would give police and CSIS access to internet subscriber information without a warrant and allow Canada Post to open letters.
Some of the criticism that surfaced in the previous Parliament when the Liberals tabled their Online Harms legislation Bill C-63 is coming back to the forefront. Bill C-63 lapsed when Parliament was prorogued earlier this year, but beforehand the justice minister had said it would be split into two bills given opposition to provisions impacting freedom of expression….