Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2015-03-25 19:10:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands, GP)",
        "fr": "Mme Elizabeth May (Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands, PV)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"4024580\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight at adjournment proceedings to pursue a question that I initially asked earlier this year. I asked the question on February 17. It relates to the current debate, Bill <a data-HoCid=\"6842344\" href=\"/bills/41-2/C-51/\" title=\"An Act to enact the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act and the Secure Air Travel Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-51</a>, the so-called anti-terrorism act but it is actually an omnibus bill with a much longer title, five bills rolled into one.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024581\" data-originallang=\"en\">The <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">Prime Minister</a> gave me the courtesy of actually responding to my question and this is his entire response. He said:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024582\" data-originallang=\"en\">I think it is very well known that the anti-terrorism act, 2015, is designed to deal with the promotion and actual execution of terrorist activities, and not other lawful activities.</p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024583\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Having heard that very sensible sentence from the Prime Minister, now let me say what the question was and why the Prime Minister's response formed no answer at all.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024584\" data-originallang=\"en\">What I have been trying to ascertain from the <a data-HoCid=\"194614\" href=\"/politicians/steven-blaney/\" title=\"Steven Blaney\">Minister of Public Safety</a>, from the <a data-HoCid=\"194629\" href=\"/politicians/peter-mackay/\" title=\"Peter MacKay\">Minister of Justice</a> and, indeed, from the <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">Prime Minister</a>, is how this bill would affect dissent in this country if it should fall outside of the modifying word \u201clawful\u201d. We will find that phrase in the bill, in part 1, following a great long list, which I must emphasize. In describing activities that undermine the security of Canada, the list that is provided in that section from (<em>a</em>) to (<em>i</em>) is not an exhaustive list. It comes under a list that has the preface, \u201cincluding any of the following activities\u201d.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024585\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is not exclusively just this list of activities, but it is quite overbroad in its definition. In the list, (<em>a</em>), for example, is: </p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024586\" data-originallang=\"en\">interference with the capability of the Government of Canada in relation to intelligence, defence, border operations, public safety, the administration of justice, diplomatic or consular relations, or the economic or financial stability of Canada;</p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024587\" data-originallang=\"en\">It goes on from there to list, \u201cinterference with critical infrastructure\u201d. However, this is just a list. It could be almost anything. At the end of this list, comes this phrase, \u201cFor greater certainty, it does not include lawful advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression\u201d.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024588\" data-originallang=\"en\">As I said on three occasions in question period when my questions were responded to by the <a data-HoCid=\"194629\" href=\"/politicians/peter-mackay/\" title=\"Peter MacKay\">Minister of Justice</a>, the <a data-HoCid=\"194614\" href=\"/politicians/steven-blaney/\" title=\"Steven Blaney\">Minister of Public Safety</a> and the <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">Prime Minister</a>, what I have been trying to point out is this. How will that phrase protect the kind of dissent that falls outside the word \u201clawful\u201d; such as an activity that does not have a permit, such as an activity that is a conscious and deliberate decision to conduct non-violent civil disobedience, knowing that the activity is not lawful, knowing that one may be arrested, but also knowing that one has no intention whatsoever to do anything that is violent or a threat to anyone except to make a statement of conscience? When Rosa Parks sat down in the whites-only section of the bus, that was illegal and under this language we are in trouble.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024589\" data-originallang=\"en\">In 2001, when the previous government first put forward an anti-terrorism act in response to 9/11, this same debate took place. The word \u201clawful\u201d appeared as a modifier in front of \u201cprotest\u201d. It took then Minister of Justice, Anne McLellan, some considerable time to agree with the opposition that the word \u201clawful\u201d would make illegal wildcat strikes the subject of security and intelligence operations.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024590\" data-originallang=\"en\">The word \u201clawful\u201d should be removed from Bill <a data-HoCid=\"6842344\" href=\"/bills/41-2/C-51/\" title=\"An Act to enact the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act and the Secure Air Travel Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-51</a>; and I wonder when Conservatives will understand the question.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"4024580\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, je prends la parole ce soir dans le cadre du d\u00e9bat d'ajournement pour reparler d'une question que j'ai d\u00e9j\u00e0 pos\u00e9e cette ann\u00e9e. C'\u00e9tait le 17 f\u00e9vrier, et la question portait sur le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6842344\" href=\"/bills/41-2/C-51/\" title=\"An Act to enact the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act and the Secure Air Travel Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-51</a>, dont nous d\u00e9battons actuellement, le pr\u00e9tendu projet de loi antiterroriste qui est en fait un projet de loi omnibus dont le titre est beaucoup plus long et qui est l'amalgame de cinq projets de loi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024581\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">premier ministre</a> a \u00e9t\u00e9 assez courtois pour r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 ma question, alors voici sa r\u00e9ponse au complet. Il a dit ceci: </p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024582\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je pense qu'il est de notori\u00e9t\u00e9 publique que la Loi antiterroriste de 2015 est con\u00e7ue pour lutter contre la promotion et l'ex\u00e9cution d'activit\u00e9s terroristes, et non contre d'autres activit\u00e9s l\u00e9gales. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024583\" data-originallang=\"en\">Maintenant que nous avons entendu ces paroles tr\u00e8s sages du premier ministre, je voudrais rappeler \u00e0 la Chambre quelle \u00e9tait ma question et pourquoi la r\u00e9ponse du premier ministre n'en est pas une du tout.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024584\" data-originallang=\"en\">En relan\u00e7ant comme je l'ai fait le <a data-HoCid=\"194614\" href=\"/politicians/steven-blaney/\" title=\"Steven Blaney\">ministre de la S\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique</a>, le <a data-HoCid=\"194629\" href=\"/politicians/peter-mackay/\" title=\"Peter MacKay\">ministre de la Justice</a> et m\u00eame le <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">premier ministre</a>, je voulais qu'ils m'expliquent l'effet qu'aura le projet de loi sur les manifestations d'un d\u00e9saccord qui auront lieu au pays et qui ne correspondront pas \u00e0 la d\u00e9finition du qualificatif \u00ab licites \u00bb. Ce mot se trouve \u00e0 la partie 1 du projet de loi, tout de suite apr\u00e8s une longue liste, sur laquelle je dois m'attarder un instant. Cette liste, qui d\u00e9crit les activit\u00e9s qui portent atteinte \u00e0 la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 du Canada, comporte neuf alin\u00e9as, mais elle est loin d'\u00eatre exhaustive, puisque la phrase qui la pr\u00e9c\u00e8de pr\u00e9cise \u00ab notamment les activit\u00e9s ci-apr\u00e8s \u00bb.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024585\" data-originallang=\"en\">Bref, il y a d'autres activit\u00e9s que celles qui y figurent, et on finit par se retrouver avec d\u00e9finition qui ratisse tr\u00e8s large. Voici par exemple ce que dit l'alin\u00e9a <em>a</em>): </p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024586\" data-originallang=\"en\">entraver la capacit\u00e9 du gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral \u2014 ou de son administration \u2014 en mati\u00e8re de renseignement, de d\u00e9fense, d\u2019activit\u00e9s \u00e0 la fronti\u00e8re, de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique, d\u2019administration de la justice, de relations diplomatiques ou consulaires ou de stabilit\u00e9 \u00e9conomique ou financi\u00e8re du Canada;</p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4024587\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il est question plus loin d'\u00ab entraver le fonctionnement d'infrastructures essentielles \u00bb. Il ne s'agit pourtant de rien d'autre qu'une liste. On pourrait y inclure tout ce qu'on veut. \u00c0 la fin de la liste, le texte du projet de loi pr\u00e9cise qu'\u00ab [il] est entendu que sont exclues les activit\u00e9s licites de d\u00e9fense d\u2019une cause, de protestation, de manifestation d\u2019un d\u00e9saccord ou d\u2019expression artistique \u00bb. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024588\" data-originallang=\"en\">En posant mes trois questions au <a data-HoCid=\"194629\" href=\"/politicians/peter-mackay/\" title=\"Peter MacKay\">ministre de la Justice</a>, au <a data-HoCid=\"194614\" href=\"/politicians/steven-blaney/\" title=\"Steven Blaney\">ministre de la S\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique</a> et au <a data-HoCid=\"78738\" href=\"/politicians/stephen-harper/\" title=\"Stephen Harper\">premier ministre</a>, j'ai cherch\u00e9 \u00e0 savoir en quoi cette disposition prot\u00e9gera les expressions d'un d\u00e9saccord qui ne correspondent pas \u00e0 la d\u00e9finition d'une activit\u00e9 \u00ab licite \u00bb. Je songe entre autres aux manifestations organis\u00e9es sans permis, ou aux gens qui d\u00e9cident consciemment et d\u00e9lib\u00e9r\u00e9ment de se livrer \u00e0 des actes non violents de d\u00e9sob\u00e9issance civile. Ces gens vont savoir que ce qu'ils font n'est pas l\u00e9gal et qu'ils risquent d'\u00eatre arr\u00eat\u00e9s, mais que leur arrivera-t-il si on sait qu'ils ne cherchent rien d'autre qu'\u00e0 faire parler leur conscience, mais n'ont aucunement l'intention d'avoir recours \u00e0 la violence ou de menacer qui que ce soit? Quand Rosa Parks est all\u00e9e s'asseoir dans la section r\u00e9serv\u00e9e aux Blancs de son autobus, elle \u00e9tait dans l'ill\u00e9galit\u00e9; or, si on se fie au texte du projet de loi, elle aurait aussi \u00e9t\u00e9 dans le trouble.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024589\" data-originallang=\"en\">En 2001, lorsque le gouvernement pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent a adopt\u00e9 la premi\u00e8re loi antiterroriste dans la foul\u00e9e des attentats du 11 septembre, le m\u00eame d\u00e9bat avait fait rage. Le mot \u00ab licite \u00bb \u00e9tait accol\u00e9 au mot \u00ab protestation \u00bb. Il fallu un temps fou \u00e0 la ministre de la Justice de l'\u00e9poque, Anne McLellan, pour convenir avec l'opposition qu'\u00e0 cause de cet adjectif, les services de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 et du renseignement pourraient s'int\u00e9resser aux gr\u00e8ves spontan\u00e9es \u2014 donc ill\u00e9gales.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4024590\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le mot \u00ab licites \u00bb devrait \u00eatre supprim\u00e9 du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6842344\" href=\"/bills/41-2/C-51/\" title=\"An Act to enact the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act and the Secure Air Travel Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-51</a>. Je me demande seulement quand les conservateurs vont finir par comprendre la question qu'on leur pose.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2015/3/25/elizabeth-may-5/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/elizabeth-may/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4108/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "8626622",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Adjournment Proceedings",
        "fr": "Motion D'Ajournement"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Public Safety",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2015/3/25/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2015%2F3%2F25%2F"
    }
}