RIP

--Previous Message--
: What Parliament isn't debating can be as interesting as what it is
: debating. This fall it emphatically isn't debating Bill C-30.
: That's because, for all intents and purposes, the Conservatives'
: Internet surveillance legislation is dead.
:
: C-30, you will remember, would grant the federal government and
: law enforcement agencies the power to obtain information about
: individuals who are online without having to apply for a
: warrant. You will also remember that Public Safety Minister Vic
: Toews endured a world of hurt back in February when he told
: critics of the bill that they could " either stand with us
: or with the child pornographers ."
:
: Stung by the widespread opposition, including from the federal
: and provincial privacy commissioners and from within its own
: caucus, the Conservative government said it would refer the bill
: to a committee. Last May, your correspondent was rebuked by Mr.
: Toews for writing that the bill was, in reality, " dead in
: the water ."
:
: " Our government has been very clear, that matter will be
: referred to a parliamentary committee ," he insisted. But
: the five hours of debate needed before the bill could be
: referred to the committee didn't happen that May. It didn't
: happen in June. It didn't happen in September, when the House
: returned from summer recess. October? So far, nada.
:
: When asked when and whether C-30 would come before the House
: this autumn, Mr. Toews' spokeswoman, Julie Carmichael, said by
: email: " Our government is thoroughly reviewing this
: legislation. At all times we will strike an appropriate balance
: between protecting privacy and giving police the tools they need
: to do their job ," she wrote.
:
: Which may be another way of saying the Internet surveillance
: bill is not just dead in the water - it's at the bottom of the
: sea.
:
: Nathan Cullen, House Leader for the NDP, says he has asked about
: the status of C-30 at virtually every one of his weekly meetings
: with Conservative House Leader Peter Van Loan. " I always
: get the exact same answer back, which is a non-answer ,"
: said Mr. Cullen in an interview. " I don't know whether it
: was because the Minister so screwed up the messaging, or whether
: they've had some other input saying they went too far or it just
: can't be salvaged ," he speculates.
:
: What isn't speculation is that the Internet bill has disappeared
: from the radar - for good, it would appear. Stephen Harper is
: likely to have Parliament prorogued this coming winter, in
: anticipation of a major cabinet shuffle and a throne speech to
: mark the halfway point in his government. With prorogation, C-30
: will die on the order paper, unmourned.
:
: A new Public Safety Minister may introduce new lawful access
: legislation that would require a judicial warrant before anyone
: could compel an Internet Service Provider to divulge information
: about a client.
:
: But that's down the road. What matters is this: If you're with
: the child pornographers, or with the privacy commissioners, or
: with at least some of the Tory caucus, or with the millions of
: other Canadians who want to limit the power of the federal
: government to snoop online, you can forget about C-30.
:
: The Tories appear content to leave this political shipwreck
: alone.
:
: