People and Planet Before Profit
TAKE ACTION NOW:
Tell the federal government to Repeal Bill C-51 and to Reframe Security from a Culture of Fear to a Culture of Peace. Deadline is December 15!
SEA is urging members to send an email by tomorrow to the following:
• Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• National Security Consultations:
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• With a copy to your Member of Parliament: http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/member
Here's a draft letter that you can use, modify and send:
Dear Minister Goodale and Minister Wilson-Raybould,
I am writing in response to the Security Review public consultations to inform you of my opposition to Bill C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act. The bill is a threat to our civil rights, our privacy and our democracy. I join the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, and Open Media to call for the repeal of Bill C-51.
Any new security legislation must adhere to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and our commitment to international human rights law, such as the United Nations’ Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. There must also be comprehensive, independent oversight of Canadian security services as recommended by Justice O’Connor in his report for the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar. There must be greater transparency and disclosure and whistle-blower protection not more secrecy to ensure that our security services are operating consistently with Canadian values and the rule of law.
I believe that the federal government must re-frame security from the threat of “terrorism” to the urgent economic, social and environmental needs of Canadians. According to Canada Without Poverty, almost 5 million people live in poverty. An estimated 235,000 people in Canada experienced homelessness in 2014. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has described the lack of a national housing and homelessness strategy in Canada as a “national emergency.” Food Banks Canada recently reported an increase in the number of Canadians who are food insecure and are relying on food banks across the country. In its new study, “Canada in a Changing Climate: Sector Perspectives on Impacts and Adaptation,” Natural Resources Canada shows that every sector of our society and our economy is vulnerable to climate change. Yet the federal government spends much more on militarized security than on environmental protection and nonviolent conflict prevention. Canada needs a new security policy that promotes a culture of peace, not a culture of fear, and that invests in social and environmental welfare that will truly keep Canadians safe.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME