How to nix C-36

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by Craig Segal

If you're feeling particularly paranoid--especially since September 11--you may wish to put this paper down and promptly pencil Julius Grey's workshop into your agenda book.

The federal government's new anti-terrorist legislation, Bill C-36, will allow Big Brother to listen to your phone calls, read the juvenile e-mails you send to friends from work, imprison you without trial and deport refugees with fly-swatting precision. Grey, a powerhouse of constitutional lawyerdom, will explain next week why Bill C-36 is a kamikaze-style attack on civil liberties.

"I'm convinced that the government is in entirely good faith here," says Grey. "But if a law remains on the books for a very long time, it ends up being used incorrectly. All powers are subject to abuse in every society and every legal system. It's always a risk when we pass laws to deal with current emergencies which have as an effect the restriction of freedom."

Federal Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan has gone on record saying that most of the 19 men who hijacked the September 11 planes entered the U.S. legally; and that intelligence gathering, not stricter immigration or refugee policies, will stop terrorism.

The workshop against Bill C-36 is organized by the Coalition Against War Hysteria and Racism. It takes place Wednesday, November 28 at 2149 Mackay at 7 p.m. Call 931-2377 for more info. :