Don't spy on me! BCCLA files c
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 18 February 2014 10:00
- Written by editor
r19 | r14 | r0
Like
Tweet
Forward
One of the meetings spied on: Dogwood Initiative’s Celine Trojand spoke in Kelowna to retirees and church goers about storytelling.
“Why are government spies compiling reports about volunteers hand-painting signs in Church basements?... Who decided to share that information with oil companies? It's deeply troubling to see a government spy agency put the interests of a handful of corporations ahead of the privacy rights of Canadians.”
Jamie Biggar, Executive Director, LeadNow.ca
“I was shocked and disgusted to learn that the police and the National Energy Board colluded to keep track of First Nations people who are simply speaking out, including those who participate in IdleNoMore. This is the kind of thing we'd expect to see in a police state, and it's a violation of our freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.”
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs
BCCLA files complaints against CSIS and the RCMP for illegal spying
s23,
This morning we filed complaints against CSIS and the RCMP, alleging they acted illegally and unconstitutionally by monitoring and spying on peaceful and democratic activities of First Nations and community groups opposed to the Enbridge Northern Pipeline project.*
Some of the groups spied on include ForestEthics Advocacy, Dogwood Initiative, LeadNow. ca, and the IdleNoMore movement.
We believe CSIS and the RCMP acted in ways that were undemocratic, illegal and in violation of Charter-protected rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and free association.
If you agree, speak out against this injustice by signing our pledge.
Equally shocking is that the federal government shared the illegally-gathered information with the oil industry.
Because of the nature of the groups targeted, some may try to frame this as merely an environmental debate, but this goes far beyond that. It is a fundamental human rights issue that is important to all Canadians.
As Canadians, we have the right to express ourselves and participate in democratic debate, without fear of being spied on or intimidated by our own government.
Protect democratic participation. Please sign the pledge today.
Sincerely,
Josh Paterson and the BCCLA Team
Read more about the complaints here.
*The activities outlined in our complaint originally came to light through an access to information request filed by Matt Millar of the Vancouver Observer.
Freedom Means Different Things to Us All
But we all deserve it equally.
Education. Litigation. Policy. Advocacy. Casework. Your contributions make our work possible. Visit www.bccla.org.
