In protest of the Conservative government’s Bill C-51, a national day of action took place March 14.
In Ottawa, the protest attracted hundreds of citizens onto the corner of Elgin and Wellington Street.
Bill C-51 is an anti-terrorism bill that would allow the detainment of people under suspicion of being terrorists without a warrant. It would also allow the government to remove anything deemed terrorist propaganda from public spaces, including the Internet.
Amy Kishek, a law student at the University of Ottawa and organizer of the protest, said a group of people from community organizations, unions, and civil societies had connected online and come together within two weeks to plan the protest.
The organizers of the Ottawa protest were in contact with those organizing demonstrations in Vancouver and Toronto, Kishek said.
She said her goals were to show solidarity for those marginalized by the bill, and to make a point to the prime minister that they would not stand for what she called an “infringement on not just our privacy, but on our civil liberties.”
“I think at this point this bill is unsalvageable. I know some people are looking for amendments but I think we have to kill the bill,” Kishek said.
The day of action consisted of gathering protestors together, hearing speakers condemning the bill, chants and songs, and then marching to the Parliament buildings.
“We want all Canadians to know that we are not going to let fear dictate how we dole out civil liberties,” Kishek said.
Kishek began the speeches by acknowledging they were taking place on unceded Algonquin territory and said they were “very grateful for the privilege of being here.”
The first speaker was Larry Rousseau of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
“We didn’t get a permit for this, so I guess under C-51 this is going to be an unlawful protest,” he began.
“You know what, there’s always an enemy,” Rousseau said.
He said the bill demonizes people the same way the Canadian government has targeted varying people groups over the course of history.
Rousseau encouraged the crowd to vote out the Conservative party.
“We are going to organize in order to resist this totalitarianism, this right-wing bullshit that we have had enough of,” he said.
The NDP and Green Party were also represented in the speeches.
Nycole Turmel, the NDP MP for Hull-Aylmer said the NDP, including Thomas Mulcair, were supporting the protestors.
“We’ll fight in court, we’ll fight in Parliament, every day for your rights,” she said.
The Green Party circulated petitions to further protest the bill.
After more speeches from human rights lawyers and activists, as well as a musical performance from the Raging Grannies and a short play, the protestors marched to the hill.
Keith Burley, a second-year Carleton University student in communication studies and political science, said he attended the protest because he agrees with the sentiment against the bill.
Burley said he is involved in the conversation surrounding C-51 and is working to raise awareness about what it would entail if it is passed.
He advised Carleton students to be careful what they say online and where they post opinions, especially things which could be misconstrued.
“What worries me the most [is the bill is] re-branding the word ‘terrorism,’” he said. “We already have the government looking over and watching for terrorist threats in our country. We don’t need extra legislation that twists and turns and creates an unregulated police force to do the same thing that they’re doing already.”
