Hundreds Rally Against Bill C-51

Anti-Terror Law Will “Kill Democracy”: Protesters

NewsJane Lakes — Published March 14, 2015

The Day of Action Against Bill C-51, which began at Jarry Park, rallied for the abolition of the proposed bill, and was just one of several protests taking place across Canada.

“It’s killing democracy,” said protester Nicole LeBlanc. “Nobody will feel comfortable saying anything against the government.”

Activist leaders and politicians, such as opposition leader Thomas Mulcair, spoke out against the bill.

“The law C-51 is a violation of our rights and liberties, and the NDP will oppose it at every step,” the New Democratic Party MP said.

“This is just the beginning,” continued Mulcair. “People say that we should be afraid of Harper, but we say that we should stand up to him.”

Protests denouncing Bill C-51 also took place in several other Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria.

Protesters were encouraged to wear tape over their mouths to symbolize the new bill’s alleged threat to the Charter of Rights.

“It’s an invasion of privacy,” said Natasha Tutino, one of the demonstration’s organizers. “It’s a bill that has no target, so everybody is a target.”

The protest ended with a rally outside of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s office in Papineau, who has previously stated that his party will support the bill.

“We have a right to privacy, we have a right to confidentiality, we have a right to protest what is wrong,” said Tutino.

“We do not need permission to fight against policies that our government puts in place that go against what is right.”