Public safety minister defends anti-terror bill, drawing parallels to the Holocaust
Posted March 10, 2015 10:05 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – Committee hearings on the Harper government’s new anti-terror legislation have begun, with the government coming out in strong defence of the controversial bill, even drawing parallels to the Holocaust.
The review will continue until the end of the month and the committee will hear from 50 expert witnesses.
The public safety and justice ministers dispute claims from critics that Canadians’ liberties will be trampled on and that there isn’t enough oversight as the powers of our police and spy agencies expand.
Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney says the changes are needed to protect Canadians from jihadi terrorists who have declared war on Canada. But when discussing the clause to make it illegal to promote terrorism, Blaney talked about the Holocaust.
“The Holocaust did not begin in the gas chamber. It began with words.”
The NDP’s Randall Garrison isn’t happy with those comments and says the government needs to tone down the rhetoric. “So that we can make sure that we’re going to have a bill that meets the real threats that face Canada, and not one which is based on simply waving the fear flag.”
Garrison says this bill needs many amendments but the government is giving no indication it is willing to make changes.
