Bill C-30

Do you agree that the Canadian Government should be allowed to "spy" on Canadians if it means stopping child pornography offenders? Where should the government draw the line?

Bill C-30, a proposed legislation known as the “Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act”, would give Canadian police and intelligence agencies the authority to access Canadians’ electronic communications and telocomunications without a warrant. The bill was a proposed amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada introduced by the Conservative government of Stephen Harper on February 14, 2012. Although society is desperate to stop child pornography offenders, many Canadians viewed the Bill with fear and contempt. While Canadians already anguish over Facebook and Google’s increasingly blatant use and storage of our online lives, we’re blind to the ultimate destination of this information. It can now go straight to the cop who asks for it. It gives the police a licence for fishing expeditions into all “private communications,” the all-inclusive term used in the bill. Cellphones would become an electronic prisoner’s bracelet. When I first heard of this bill I was in full support of this. Why worry when you have nothing to hide? However, when I began to do more research into the topic I have become more nervous about allowing strangers to have access and “spy” on all my private communications. It is difficult to say where the government should draw the line, but in my opinion police should have a warrant before they invade your personal life. A bill similar to this needs to be passed, however; Bill C-30 also needs slight modifications in order to protect the “personal life” of Canadians.