Theyre debating this right now

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Published on Sunday, 26 April 2015 16:51

Written by editor

I just wanted to make sure you saw this: Bill C-51 is up for debate in Parliament today.

The final vote in the House of Commons could happen any day now.

We’re raising funds so we can launch a hard-hitting viral video that will keep this issue in the spotlight -- Can you take this last chance and chip in with a donation now?

The more people find out what’s in C-51, the less they support it. Our task is clear: we’ve got to cut through the government’s dishonest spin and make sure Canadians know what’s at risk in C-51.

We’re so grateful to all of you who have already contributed -- without your help we’d never have been able to build one of the largest-ever campaigns in Canadian history.

Thanks for everything you do,

Steve

P.S. I’ve copied the original appeal below for you in case you missed it. Please, help power our fight to safeguard your rights before it’s too late.

Canadians have been speaking out against spying Bill C-51 in amazing numbers, but sadly the government still isn’t listening. The more people know what’s at risk in C-51, the less they support the bill - so we’re planning to launch a hard-hitting viral video and a crowdsourced pro-privacy action plan to ramp up the pressure. Please, donate today to power our campaign to kill this bill.

This is amazing -- record numbers of Canadians have spoken out about reckless spying Bill C-51 through in-person events and powerful online actions. Thanks to you, polls show that support for Bill C-51 is now plummeting.1

Sadly, instead of listening, the government is attempting to trick Canadians and ram the bill through Parliament. This vote could happen at any moment so we need to act now.

We’d like to launch a special viral video to keep pressure on decision-makers and undermine public support for C-51: Can you donate today to make this happen?

Your donation will pay for the video and make sure that it’s seen far and wide. We know that the more Canadians know about what’s in C-51, the less they like it. The more public awareness we can raise, the harder it will be for decision-makers to vote in favour of this bill.

Our hard-hitting video will be backed up by a soon-to-be-released crowdsourced pro-privacy action plan, informed by experts and over 125,000 Canadians who participated in our privacy campaign.

The final vote on C-51 could come any day now -- we’ve heard reports that the government is scrambling and feeling the heat. They are desperately hoping that the public moves on and stops paying attention. Your donation today will make sure that doesn’t happen.

The Harper government can read a poll just the same as you or me -- they know how unpopular Bill C-51 is. Their strategy is to trick Canadians into backing off by telling the media they are fixing the bill. In fact, they have done nothing to rein in the reckless spying or censorship powers in this bill.2

If Bill C-51 is made law, it will mean that Canada’s spy agencies can effectively ignore the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.3

Just think about that for a moment.

We cannot allow this reckless legislation to pass. Please, chip in now so we can launch a powerful viral video that will demolish the government’s spin and kill this bill.

With gratitude for everything you do,

Steve, on behalf of your OpenMedia team

P.S.: The fight to Stop Bill C-51 has been one of the largest online campaigns in Canada’s history, and its success is seriously eroding public support for the Bill. If the government doesn’t scrap Bill C-51, we risk losing our privacy & Charter rights forever. With your donation today. we can ramp up pressure on the government and make sure Canadians know what’s at stake.

Footnotes:

[1] Bill C-51 is More Unpopular than Ever. Source: Vice

[2] Proposed Amendments to C-51 insufficient. Source: Canadian Civil Liberties Association

[3] Bill C-51 Would Jeopardize the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Source: Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

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