Dear Editor,

I am contacting you in concern of Bills C-2, C-8 and C-9 and the return of the Online Harms Act.

These bills are dangerous and a threat to every Canadian and their freedom. No matter what political party you are a part of, there should be an absolute 100% without question resounding NO to these bills.

To allow our government to control free speech, to add even more surveillance, and to not go through a proper justice process is an outrage. The government has already overstepped the line when it froze the truckers (who were peaceful protesters) bank accounts and publicly shamed and convicted them before any due process.

As a country, we should be outraged and very fearful of having a government that is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The current government seems to use the fear of crime and mass immigration as a distraction to what is really going on here.  They are essentially wanting to have full control of every aspect of Canadian citizens from their free speech, to their bank accounts.

These bills want government to replace a lawful, unbiased judge so the government can decide (with bias) what defines “hatred”.  Essentially, if they have a personal stance and bias against a law-abiding citizen or group they can unfairly discriminate and cause the persecuted individual or group major harm with prison sentences, massive fines, etc.  This is the definition of an authoritarian government and not a democracy that Canada is supposed to be.

Take a look at Britain. People are getting thrown in jail, told on the street that they can’t have peaceful conversations and protests because another member of society doesn’t agree with what they say. Police are showing up at private citizens’ homes wanting to view their personal cell phones because someone made a comment online that someone else did not agree with.

The brave Canadian military that fought for our very freedom through numerous wars are rolling in their graves. We are not just numbers to some big world forum. We are human beings that deserve to have the right to think and speak freely without fear of persecution. This should be incomprehensible at this stage in civilization. However instead people have to be so afraid to say anything or to speak to someone with differing opinions in person or online in fear that their bank account might be frozen or that they get arrested.

Stop this now and get rid of these bills and tell this liberal government to keep their noses out of the business of lives of Canadian citizens. Fight for the privacy, free speech and civil liberties that are basic human rights for every member of Canada.

Ken Martin
Kingsville, Ontario

~ Image by Deneen L Treble on Pexels