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April 1st, 2015

NDP REALITY CHECK: Liberal support for C-51 gets even more awkward

Remember the heady days, just over a month ago, when Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau declared that improving CSIS oversight in Bill C-51 was absolutely necessary?

“[Oversight] is crucial and must be amended, if we are giving CSIS the new powers proposed in Bill C-51 in its current form…We are confident that we have the necessary tools and plan to improve this bill, and we will do everything we can to achieve that goal.” – Justin Trudeau, February 19, 2015

But sometimes “everything” is not enough, as the Liberals learned at Public Safety Committee last night when every single Liberal amendment proposed was resoundingly defeated by the Conservatives.

Not ones to let facts get in the way of a cunning political plan, the Liberals are undaunted in their support for C-51 – but their brain trust would prefer civil society not talk about it:

The key email that I received from a senior Liberal told me simply that we should see the amendments as a meaningful victory on this issue. In turn, we have been telling them that we're seeing widespread opposition to their current position: calling for amendments to C-51, while still planning to vote for it. Thousands of people have joined our campaign to specifically call on the Liberals to strengthen their position on C-51, and we will continue to put more pressure on them to do so." – Jamie Biggar, LeadNow Campaigns Director, Facebook post March 31, 2015

Awkward, indeed.

Thankfully, when it comes to holding the Conservatives to account for legislation that threatens Canadians’ rights and freedoms, Canadians can count on New Democrats to speak out loud and clear.