Unprecedented Changes and National Security

Canada national security: According to Harper, C-51 was a response to "violent jihadism." That event was emblematic of the politicization of law and policy during the last decade, according to Huffington Post Canada. Fear & Politics Despite the rhetoric, C-51 brought unprecedented changes to Canada national security landscape reaching far beyond "violent jihadism" or even terrorism. Former Prime Minister Harper launched Bill C-51, the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, at a campaign-style event in Richmond Hill, Ontario, on Jan. 30, 2015. It was a bait and switch, exploiting fears still fresh from the killing of soldiers Patrice Vincent and Nathan Cirillo, to dramatically expand the national security apparatus. The new law introduced: Information Sharing: C-51 created a vast government-wide information-sharing regime predicated on the open-ended basis of "undermining the security of Canada." The new regime lacks effective safeguards and transparency. No-fly List: C-51 codified the no-fly list but left it shrouded in secrecy and failed to address whether no-fly lists are effective in keeping air travellers safe. After Snowden revelations we should be worried about information collection, manipulation and sharing in a Big Data world. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.