24 November 2001

To: The Editor

Re: Bill C-36

I am a Canadian citizen, but was born and raised in South Africa during 
Apartheid, so I know what it
is like to surrender civil liberties under the guise of "security". The reason I decided to write this
letter is that I don’t want to go through it again. The thing that scares me the most about Bill C-36
is its similarities to two of Apartheid South Africa’s bills, namely the 1950 Suppression of Communism Act and the 1967 Terrorist Act. Quoting Nelson Mandela (from his 
autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom):
"Essentially, the [Suppression of Communism] bill permitted the government to outlaw any organisation and to restrict any individual opposed to its policies" and "the 1967 
Terrorist Act gave the government unprecedented powers of arrest and detention without trial."
Two key terms are ‘security’ and ‘terrorism’. Who’s security are we talking 
about? And we all know that one man’s freedom fighter is another’s terrorist. These bills were passed to protect South African citizens from terrorism. Sound familiar? What this meant in practice was that the ruling elite’s security was ensured. Those opposed to the government, even peacefully, were terrorists, as was anyone advocating social change. It enabled the police and military to perform their own acts of terrorism against individuals and other countries, without any recourse to the law. So, a bill worded in such a way that should give people more security, actually took it away. 
Here are a few examples:
People were arrested on suspicion of being terrorists, with or without evidence, and held without trial. The police would often wait until the day before an entitled trial and then release them. As the person left the prison’s front gate they would be re-arrested by a different officer, again on suspicion of terrorism. States of Emergency, which gave more power to police, were declared every time there was an uprising.As a result, more people were arrested and the increase in arrests were used to justify its extension.
And, because of the new laws invoked, no real protesting against the renewal of the State of Emergency was allowed. Sunset clauses are a joke; there is no end to this sort of viscious cycle.
South Africa’s security bills affected other countries too. The illegal incursions into neighbouring countries, by the ruling National Party, left about 1.5 million people dead. Incidentally, these incursions were supported by both the USA and the UK.
Increased government secrecy, as well as mass media manipulation allowed this to continue, because of the lack of information to the general public. Security force brutality was rampant, with countless thousands, mostly innocent, beaten and killed.This is what propaganda does to those in power. Don’t forget, they believe they are protecting the people. Why should they care about the "terrorists"?
This is the same mentality that we see in Canadian security forces. They already use chemical weapons, in the form of tear gas, against their own people, even peaceful protesters. They also physically harm innocent protesters.  I know people that have experienced this first hand. Police do NOT need more power. Bill C-36 seeks to employ the very things I so hated about Apartheid: preventative detention and searches, whereby "potential" terrorists can be imprisoned for extended periods without trial orconviction, people stripped of their right to silence, secret trials, shedding of privacy laws,extension of police and secret service powers, increased government secrecy, etc. As in South Africa,the Canadian government and security forces will be exempt from this legislation (look at Bill C-35), otherwise they will be found guilty themselves. Those in power NEVER define themselves as terrorists. Canadian Civil Liberties Association president Alan Borovoy says: "…if this bill had been in place 10 years ago, Canadians who supported Nelson Mandela and the ANC, or who raised funds for the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa, would have been called ‘terrorist’ and subject to arrest and conviction." This makes me realise what the true intentions behind this bill are. With rapidly growing support for the anti-globalization movement, increasing mobilisation amongst workers, etc., this bill will be used to intimidate and stifle dissent, through increased use of force by ‘security’ forces.
Who will protect us from our government and police?
Internationally, Bill C-36 proposes to "eradicate terrorism". Therefore, Canada should act against anyone deemed responsible for terrorism by international law, including the United States. Quoting Noam Chomsky, from his address at MIT on October 18, 2001: "[The USA] now stands as the only state on record which has been both condemned by the World Court for international terrorism and has vetoed a [UN] security council resolution calling on all states to observe international law." This is inrelation to the Reagan-US war against Nicaragua. Since WWII at least 50 countries have been invaded,many democratically elected governments have been overthrown with CIA assistance, millions of innocentpeople have been murdered and millions more have starved to death. Bush’s government is the most powerful terrorist organisation in the world. Bush sees himself as a liberator, as did Hitler, Polpot, and Stalin, but his bombing campaign is in direct violation of international law, and up to four million people may starve to death this winter in Afghanistan as a direct result of his policies.
History will look back on these dark times with scorn and Canada will be seen as an ally of tyranny.
By supporting Bill C-36 and the US war on terror, we are in actuality  encouraging terrorism against other nations, and ourselves. Talk about a paradox.
My views represent a nation-wide contingency of scholars, lawyers, activists and concerned citizens. I urge you not to ignore these concerns. Copies of this letter have been sent to every member of the Senate and the House of Commons, and to the media. Canada is far from perfect, but what makes it a good place to live is the relative freedom that its citizens have. DON’T let them take it away from us. I cannot urge you strongly enough, no matter what form it takes, OPPOSE Bill C-36! I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,
(Name edited out by a3m)