Harper's Gag Orders Sweep While Canadians Sleep

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Harper's Gag Orders Sweep While Canadians Sleep

Post by Raggedyann » 06-28-2013 06:59 AM

The Harper government wants to hide all of its secrets.

While reviewing the latest edition of the federal government's little-known legislative bulletin, The Canada Gazette, Canadian Press reporter Jim Bronskill noticed a troubling detail: a new order is now on the table that would dramatically expand the number of current - and former - federal government employees under a lifetime gag order, potentially curbing the right to free expression for thousands of Canadians.

The order is certainly dramatic and sweeping in scope, but it's not a new development. Lifetime gag orders for certain federal employees were part of the original Anti-Terrorism Act, which came into force on Christmas Eve 2001. At present, it affects about 12,000 people. It's not known exactly how many more people will be subject to the gag as a result of this latest order, but given that it would extend to CSIS' legal service units, the CSE (Canada's spy and electronic communication surveillance agencies), and the Privy Council Office.

The timing is spot on. In recent weeks, CSIS and the CSE have come under intense public scrutiny in response to the revelation of enormous telecom and online surveillance operations by the U.S. National Security Agency.

Employees lassoed by this order would be prevented from disclosing (or even confirming the existence of) so-called "special operational information." This includes confidential intelligence sources, targets of operations, names of spies, military plans, various techniques or technologies, plus encryption and other means of protecting data.

What brought about this rush for hyper secrecy?

The federal government provides this justification:

The proposed Order would enable the Government of Canada to provide additional assurances to its international partners and allies that special operational information shared with Canada will be protected.

More
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/vincent-go ... 98606.html
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Post by HB3 » 06-28-2013 12:20 PM

I would be more impressed with this if the Canadian left's behavior on free speech issues was more consistent; but, of course, it isn't.

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Post by Raggedyann » 06-28-2013 01:32 PM

HB3 wrote: I would be more impressed with this if the Canadian left's behavior on free speech issues was more consistent; but, of course, it isn't.

I too would be impressed. As it happens though, the cons are running the show at the moment.

Edited to add:

There is no difference between the Libs, NDP and the Cons, or any other political party in Canada. How about the U.S.? Is there a difference between the Republicans and Democrats? Or does the lack of party distinction only apply to nations outside the U.S?
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Post by HB3 » 06-28-2013 08:09 PM

No, there's no real difference, as you know. The Repubs seem to be rapidly adapting the position of the Tories in England, where they just sort of whine and complain occasionally but otherwise do absolutely nothing, and generally offer only watered down versions of what the liberal party offers full on.

I'm going to assume you have no "Cons" in Canada in any meaningful sense. I'd be really impressed if there were. This looks like just another excuse to engage in Harper Hysteria, which seems like a Canadian past-time at this point. It's charming that you can engage in such endeavors. But I don't think any of the dangers -- such as they are -- currently facing Canadian society have much if anything to do with its supposedly "conservative" leaders.

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Post by Diogenes » 06-28-2013 08:23 PM

Republicans and Dems all the same - they each pander to every "tribe" and go after the money and votes.

Frankly, I need to re-register as a Conservative and get completely out of the Republican party.
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Post by HB3 » 06-28-2013 08:45 PM

I'm a "Libertarian" now, which I'm also not really satisfied with, but there's really no point in being an "Independent" in California.
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Post by Raggedyann » 06-28-2013 09:23 PM

I still vote in municipal elections as my town only has a population of 2500. But I still hear tales of corruption at the local level of politics. As for voting in Provincial or Federal elections, I'm done with them making a fool of me.
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Post by Raggedyann » 06-29-2013 12:44 AM

HB3 wrote: This looks like just another excuse to engage in Harper Hysteria, which seems like a Canadian past-time at this point. It's charming that you can engage in such endeavors.
If you think that the Harper appointed senate should be comprised of conservative leaning top journalists, then I guess you're right. If you think that members of the Harper appointed senate have the right to steal from the tax payers, then I guess you're right. If you think that Harper's Chief of Staff had the right to secretly pay off one of the senate members ($90,000) to buy his silence about God knows what, then I guess you're right. But why should we get hysterical about any of this? It's only the Gov't doing what they do best, pilfer, lie and extort.

The Canadian Senate is a life long position with a lucrative pension to the tune of millions of dollars. But apparently, that's how we repay our journalists for practicing selective reporting during their 40 odd year careers.

If it's any consolation to you, the Liberal's were thrown out for corruption prior to the election of the current den of thieves.

We Canadians are no more charming than our American friends for reading political news sites to find out 'what they are doing to us now'. You also pay rapt attention to 'what your Gov't is doing to you now'.

Let's just agree to the fact that we are both pretty charming and our mutual endeavor only serves to provide us with morbid entertainment. Perhaps one day we can both kick this futile habit.
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Post by HB3 » 06-29-2013 09:52 AM

Well, you're sort of making my point. If you get another Liberal government in there, perhaps they'll be able to step up the corruption to more acceptable levels. Culturally speaking, ie, US/EU globalization ideology, I'm sure you're on the crest of the wave. It's inevitable that such ideals are accompanied by tyrannical bureacracies.

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Post by Diogenes » 06-29-2013 12:34 PM

HB3 wrote: I'm a "Libertarian" now, which I'm also not really satisfied with, but there's really no point in being an "Independent" in California.


Well truth be known Independents usually break with the Dems.

No point being anything other than a Dem in California - yup it all working out so well.:(
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Post by Riddick » 06-29-2013 01:40 PM

HB3 wrote: Culturally speaking, ie, US/EU globalization ideology, I'm sure you're on the crest of the wave. It's inevitable that such ideals are accompanied by tyrannical bureacracies.
The beauty of a sufficiently entrenched bureaucracy is that it has both momentum AND inertia working for it. At some point its sheer weight and mass ensures any attempts to divert it from its tyrannical path will fail...

The parties and candidates are irrelevant. Voting is futile - There's no David that's going to bring down THAT Goliath.

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Post by HB3 » 06-29-2013 01:56 PM

Case in point.
Free speech advocates are hailing a move by the Canadian Senate this week to abolish a highly controversial section of Canada's Human Rights Act which, critics say, has been used to stifle the opinions of right-leaning journalists such as Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant.

The Sun Media Corporation, Canada's leading newspaper publisher, said:

"Section 13 ostensibly banned hate speech on the Internet and left it up to the quasi-judicial human rights commission to determine what qualified as "hate speech." But, unlike a court, there was no presumption of innocence of those accused of hate speech by the commission. Instead, those accused had to prove their innocence."

Commenting on the move, Steyn, who had been a victim of Section 13 due to his writings against Islamism and terrorism, said:

"So victories against the state’s encroachments on free speech are protracted and difficult, but still just about possible. I am honored to have played a small role in a modest victory for liberty in Canada, and I hope my friends in London, ashamed by what their government has done, will take heart."

Steyn's reference to "friends in London" pegs off a recent decision to ban Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, outspoken critics of Islamism and terrorism, from the UK by the British visa authorities, acting on behalf of the Home Office.

The Montreal Gazette reported that:

"The bill from Alberta Conservative MP Brian Storseth passed in the House of Commons last summer, but needed Senate approval. It has received royal assent and will take effect after a one-year phase-in period.

"An 'ecstatic' Storseth said the bill, which he says had wide support across ideological lines and diverse religious groups, repeals a “flawed piece of legislation” and he called Canada’s human rights tribunal “a quasi-judicial, secretive body that takes away your natural rights as a Canadian.

“(Section 13) had actually stopped being used as a shield, as I think it was intended, to protect civil liberties, and started being used as a sword against Canadians, and it’s because it was a poorly-written piece of legislation in the first place,” he said.

Left-leaning supporters of Section 13 are furious at the move.
http://www.thecommentator.com/article/3 ... speech_law

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Post by Riddick » 06-29-2013 02:38 PM

"Silly Senate! Who exactly do you think you are? You can't change the 'Human Rights Act' any more than you can change the Earth's orbit around the sun.

Any move to alter it after the fact would be both anti-human and anti-rights - Not by a long shot is this over - Believe me, one way or another I'll be having the last word."

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Post by Raggedyann » 06-29-2013 02:38 PM

HB3 wrote: I'm going to assume you have no "Cons" in Canada in any meaningful sense.

Gosh, I have to agree with you on this. This could be the reason Canada survived the 2008 economic downfall better than the U.S. did. This could also be the reason that Canada is a more socially progressive nation as well. Thank God for watered down cons!
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Post by Diogenes » 06-29-2013 02:43 PM

Raggedyann wrote: Gosh, I have to agree with on this. This could be the reason Canada survived the 2008 economic downfall better than the U.S. did. This could also be the reason that Canada is a more socially progressive nation as well. Thank God for watered down cons!


RA careful now

Seriously surely there is more to Canada's success economically than the absence of folks like me. :D

And again being serious a large part of the housing debacle lies at the feet of those who insisted upon loosening up the buying criteria to absolutely nothing and the removal of Glass Stegal.

Believe me one can't put the housing debacle at the feet solely of the Conservatives. Check out Barney Frank and a few others on their total mismanagement of Fannie and Freddie.
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