Secret spy hearings come to Vancouver

[Oscar]

Secret spy hearings come to Vancouver

[ http://bccivillibertiesassociation.cmai ... 1AF197FE1F ]

August 11, 2015

We believe that the Canadian government's security agencies have been illegally spying on law abiding Canadians engaged in peaceful community organizing and advocacy activities. When we learned of this in 2014 the BCCLA fought back, filing legal complaints against the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Now, the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC), the body responsible for CSIS oversight, will be holding secret hearings in Vancouver investigating our complaints, starting tomorrow and running from August 12-14, 2015.

Stand up against spying

Canadians have the right to participate in important public debates without fear of being spied on and intimidated by our own security, intelligence, and police agencies.

Spying on peaceful citizens is an attack on democracy. It creates a climate of fear that chills free expression and stifles public participation.

Together with organizations who were illegally spied on, the Sierra Club of BC, the Dogwood Initiative, ForestEthics Advocacy, Leadnow.ca, and our friends at Open Media, we are seeking accountability for this illegal activity, and an end to unconstitutional spying on Canadians.

We are asking you to stand up against illegal spying by signing this pledge today.
[ https://bccla.org/dont-spy-on-me/#pledge ]

It is crucial that Canadians refuse to be silenced. Already, the body that oversees CSIS will be conducting the hearings in secret, without access by the public or the media.

Now, with the passage of Bill C-51, the government has given CSIS even more power to violate people's rights, without any appropriate increase in oversight.

At the BC Civil Liberties Association we know that just because a bad bill has become a law, it does not mean that Canadians must always be saddled with bad legislation that violates our rights. We are standing up against the fear and intimidation created by illegal surveillance and spying.

We hope you'll stand with us.

Sincerely,

Josh Paterson, Executive Director
and the BCCLA team

P.S. Sign the pledge and we'll send you a video recap of what happened during the hearings