Shortly after being elected, the new Conservative majority government pledged they would pass an omnibus crime bill, which includes provisions making it easier for police to track a citizen’s Internet usage. Specifically, police would be allowed to access a person’s Internet history without a warrant. These disturbing clauses infringe directly upon the rights of Canadians.

If introduced, bills C-50, C-51, and C-52 would allow the police to intercept any user’s communications over the Internet. Furthermore, they would require that Canadian Internet service providers set up infrastructure enabling the police to wiretap customers’ communications. It would also require Internet service providers to disclose customer information without a search warrant, even in cases where there is no active investigation. The Conservatives have no justification for the specific clauses of the bill, but have stated that as a whole, it will make “streets safer for Canadians.”

Canadian crime is at a 50-year low, but the Conservatives march onwards with their blanket crime bill, which is expected to cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

One of the main uses of the bill may be to enforce child pornography laws. In early 2010, Ontario police arrested 35 people involved in a child pornography ring; last March, two men were indicted in an international sting; and in 2009, 25 Canadians were arrested in a similar operation. However, the perpetrators’ civil rights were not violated in any of these cases.

The Tribune acknowledges that there are criminals in this country who must be brought to justice, but it is not clear that the Internet surveillance clauses of the bill would significantly increase the number of cyber-criminals apprehended. Furthermore, these provisions infringe on the rights of Canadians as stated in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; specifically sections seven and eight, which guarantee citizens the right to life, liberty, and security of the person, and the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.

The Internet surveillance provisions were omitted from the bill tabled last Tuesday, which is a step in the right direction, and an indication that public outrage over the clauses is effective. But given the Conservative party’s ruthlessness in pushing their “tough-on-crime” bills, there is no reason to believe that these clauses are gone for good. Every citizen is entitled to privacy, and unconstitutional, unmerited infringements on that privacy which allow the government to spy on its citizens are worrisome. Citizens must ensure that these provisions do not make it into law.