Alternative News Outlet Article
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- Published on Friday, 06 November 2015 06:15
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Help shape history
Dear PAOV,
This week Canada’s new government officially took office. For the last ten years, we’ve fought against increasing restrictions on our hard-won democratic rights. But in this moment of change, we have a chance to shape history.
This election showed us that all that victories for freedom, equality, and justice can be easily taken away if they are not vigilantly defended.
But it also showed us what we can accomplish together.
To every person who wrote letters, attended rallies, had conversations, tweeted, volunteered, donated, and spoke up to defend our human rights and civil liberties—thank you.
You made second-class citizenship one of the central issues of this election. You made candidates answer for their support of Bill C-51. You forced party leaders to discuss their plans for creating access to physician assisted dying.
While a new government will have many competing priorities, our priorities are clear. The BC Civil Liberties Association will work hard on all fronts to:
- Ensure safe access to physician assisted dying for seriously and incurably ill Canadians is available by the February 6, 2016 deadline imposed by the Supreme Court of Canada
- End changes to the Citizenship Act that allow for unequal treatment of Canadians based on where they or their family comes from
- Roll back the reckless increases to the power of security and intelligence agencies created by Bill C-51.
We must not miss this moment.
Our task is to hold this new government accountable to these promises, and we can only do it with your help.
The last ten years have given us much to undo. We have an opportunity right now to achieve many important gains for human rights and civil liberties. But we can’t do it alone.
Sincerely,
Josh Paterson, Executive Director
and the BCCLA team
