Canadians understand that Bill C-51 has more to do with the politics of fear and division than anything to do with security, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said to Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau during the televised Munk Debate on foreign policy.

Mulcair called out the Liberal and Conservative leaders for their continuing support for Bill C-51, the anti-democracy law passed last spring.

“The only party that stood on a question of principle against Bill C-51 was the NDP,” Mulcair said. Both Trudeau and Harper re-stated their support for C-51.

CUPE has been a strident opponent of C-51, which we believe has tremendous potential for abuse. Among CUPE’s concerns:

  • Bill C-51 adds a new offence to the Criminal Code that will limit Canadians’ freedom of speech.
  • Bill C-51 fundamentally changes the mandate of CSIS. Instead of only collecting information, CSIS gets the new power to take “measures” to “reduce a threat to the security of Canada.” without civilian or government oversight.
  • Bill C-51 expands the powers of law enforcement agencies to detain people as a preventative measure.

  • Bill C-51 violates personal privacy by allowing government departments to share personal information. This means that health, income tax and other information can be shared with law enforcement agencies.

For a detailed review of CUPE’s concerns with C-51, please see our fact sheet and our letter to the prime minister.