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"We need to remember: both the Liberals and the Conservatives voted to take away Canadians' civil liberties with this law." — Paul Finch, BCGEU Treasurer
Vancouver (01 Oct. 2015) — Building on the success of the nation-wide actions coordinated by the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) in March 2015, the coalition campaign against C-51 has been relaunched.
www.c51voter.ca is a sophisticated online campaign resource that will help Canadians use the Conservative government's own "anti-terrorism" legislation to defeat them at the polls on October 19.
Bill C51 a threat to Canadians civil liberties
"The law attacks our core values of freedom and democracy by legitimizing mass, warrant-less surveillance so vast that no oversight is possible," says Paul Finch, BCGEU Treasurer. "We need to remember: both the Liberals and the Conservatives voted to take away Canadians' civil liberties with this law."
The labour movement has a long and established history in the fight to defend civil liberties and social justice. The BCGEU/NUPGE has consistently opposed the Conservatives' "security agenda" having started a coalition of labour unions and civil society groups in early 2015. The BCGEU/NUPGE led a strong campaign and national day of action with extensive media coverage and now, the union continues to push to have the law fully repealed.
BCGEU/NUPGE campaigning to have bill repealed
"Historically, Canadian security agencies have targeted labour-friendly political parties and trade unions," Finch continues. "We can't forget the lessons of the MacDonald Commission whose recommendations led to the establishment of CSIS as a separate entity from the RCMP: an entity without the powers of arrest. Canadians will never accept that we must trade our civil liberties for security. There is no real security without civil liberties."
Join us in spreading the word and encouraging people to become C51 Voters — go to www.c51voter.ca and pledge, share your story, and take action.
More information:
Who Watches the Watchers: Bill C51 goes too far
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE