Toews surprised by content of online surveillance bill Minis

[styky]

Toews surprised by content of online surveillance bill
Minister finds humour in #TellVicEverything Twitter campaign
CBC News
Posted: Feb 18, 2012 1:08 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 18, 2012 1:39 PM ET
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews says he is surprised to learn that a section of the government's online surveillance bill provides for "exceptional circumstances" under which "any police officer" can request customer information from a telecommunications service provider.

In an interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House, Toews said his understanding of the bill is that police can only request information from the ISPs where they are conducting "a specific criminal investigation."

But Section 17 of the 'Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act' outlines "exceptional circumstances" under which "any police officer" can ask an ISP to turn over personal client information.

"I'd certainly like to see an explanation of that," Toews told host Evan Solomon after a week of public backlash against Bill C-30, which would require internet service providers to turn over client information without a warrant.

"This is the first time that I'm hearing this somehow extends ordinary police emergency powers [to telecommunications]. In my opinion, it doesn't. And it shouldn't."

Toews confirmed the bill will be sent to committee before second reading, which he said will allow for the opportunity to amend the bill beyond its original scope.

Normally, bills would go to committee after a vote at second reading, but that vote sets the scope of amendments that can be made..................http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2 ... toews.html

[Connie Fournier]

Excuse my language but...WTF????

He didn't even READ the bill before he accused people who don't support it of being "with child pornographers"??

Wow.

[styky]

Excuse my language but...WTF????

He didn't even READ the bill before he accused people who don't support it of being "with child pornographers"??

Wow.

You see why I felt it was deserving of it's own thread. WTF indeed. You would think if you are going to staunchly support a bill and slap any Canadian that disagrees with it with insults that you would have at least read the damn thing.

[Connie Fournier]

I even read it, and I'm not paid to do it!

[Connie Fournier]

On a less serious note, I enjoyed this part:

Twitter users showed their discontent with Bill C-30 by sending Toews messages via a stream called #TellVicEverything.

Using the hashtag, Twitter users detailed every aspect of their personal lives, often with sarcasm, to make a statement about the dangers of government intruding on their privacy.

When asked for his reaction to the Twitter push back, Toews laughed saying it was "actually very amusing, and very pleasant that this many people would be that concerned about what I think, and secondly, that they want to tell me."

"Actually some of these things are very, very funny. They're very humorous," he said.

"You know, CBC should consider doing a show on it. It's really great stuff."

I'm happy to hear that he thought that was as funny as I thought it was. I told Mark the other day that, even if I was Vic Toews, I would have thought that was funny. I'm glad to see he has a sense of humour about it, too.

Someone said the day that was happening that they saw Toews in the House of Commons, looking that his blackberry and "smirking". I wonder if he was reading those tweets then?

[styky]

On a less serious note, I enjoyed this part:

Twitter users showed their discontent with Bill C-30 by sending Toews messages via a stream called #TellVicEverything.

Using the hashtag, Twitter users detailed every aspect of their personal lives, often with sarcasm, to make a statement about the dangers of government intruding on their privacy.

When asked for his reaction to the Twitter push back, Toews laughed saying it was "actually very amusing, and very pleasant that this many people would be that concerned about what I think, and secondly, that they want to tell me."

"Actually some of these things are very, very funny. They're very humorous," he said.

"You know, CBC should consider doing a show on it. It's really great stuff."

I'm happy to hear that he thought that was as funny as I thought it was. I told Mark the other day that, even if I was Vic Toews, I would have thought that was funny. I'm glad to see he has a sense of humour about it, too.

Someone said the day that was happening that they saw Toews in the House of Commons, looking that his blackberry and "smirking". I wonder if he was reading those tweets then?

He's from southern Manitoba in the heart of the Mennonite valley. We're are brought up so cloistered that it doesn't take much to humour us.

[WestViking]

C-30 is not introducing much new in this section.

Bill C-30:
17. (1) Any police officer may, orally or in writing, request a telecommunications service provider to provide the officer with the information referred to in subsection 16(1) in the following circumstances:
(a) the officer believes on reasonable grounds that the urgency of the situation is such that the request cannot, with reasonable
diligence, be made under that subsection;
(b) the officer believes on reasonable grounds that the information requested is immediately necessary to prevent an unlawful
act that would cause serious harm to any person or to property; and
(c) the information directly concerns either the person who would perform the act that is likely to cause the harm or is the victim, or intended victim, of the harm.
The police officer must inform the telecommunications service provider of his or her name, rank, badge number and the agency in which he or she is employed and state that the request is being made in exceptional circumstances and under the authority of this subsection.

Bill C-30 revisions to Criminal Code:
184.4 A peace officer may intercept, by means of any electro-magnetic, acoustic, mechanical or other device, a private communication if the peace officer has reasonable grounds to believe that
(a) the urgency of the situation is such that an authorization could not, with reasonable diligence, be obtained under any other provision of this Part;
(b) the interception is immediately necessary to prevent an offence that would cause serious harm to any person or to property; and
(c) either the originator of the private communication or the person intended by the originator to receive it is the person who would commit the offence that is likely to cause the harm or is the victim, or intended victim, of the harm.
(Amendments are shown by underline)
Section 184.4 of the Criminal Code has existed since 1993. There has not been any great outcry over this as wiretaps were restricted to land telephone lines. Most request for surveillance require a surveillance or search Order (warrant). There are valid reasons for wanting very quick access to personal communications where a life is at risk such as children in danger of being kidnapped and sold or trafficked into the pornographic or prostitution sex trades.

That does not mean that we cannot retain court supervision over private communications surveillance to protect our society from state incursion on our Charter rights to:

• life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice; and
• be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.

[shiva]

On a less serious note, I enjoyed this part:

Twitter users showed their discontent with Bill C-30 by sending Toews messages via a stream called #TellVicEverything.

Using the hashtag, Twitter users detailed every aspect of their personal lives, often with sarcasm, to make a statement about the dangers of government intruding on their privacy.

When asked for his reaction to the Twitter push back, Toews laughed saying it was "actually very amusing, and very pleasant that this many people would be that concerned about what I think, and secondly, that they want to tell me."

"Actually some of these things are very, very funny. They're very humorous," he said.

"You know, CBC should consider doing a show on it. It's really great stuff."

I'm happy to hear that he thought that was as funny as I thought it was. I told Mark the other day that, even if I was Vic Toews, I would have thought that was funny. I'm glad to see he has a sense of humour about it, too.

Someone said the day that was happening that they saw Toews in the House of Commons, looking that his blackberry and "smirking". I wonder if he was reading those tweets then?

The one tweet I saw that was undeniably funny was the one that said something about how the writer had inadvertently deleted an email and wondered if Vic could forward him his copy. That is actually clever and funny and is a great way to make the point.

[Connie Fournier]

Yeah, there was some creepy, nasty stuff on Twitter that day, but the #TellVicEverything hashtag was mostly a good-humoured way to make a point. That's why it was so good.

[RedDog]

Toews has to step down. Those insisting on court warrants and protecting their privacy were in the corner with child porn producers and he didn't even read it. I don't believe him. He's a liar and he has to go.

[Julian]

Toews is "surprised" by the content of the bill he was shamelessly advancing promoting and defending? Is the man an imbecile or a liar? He is one or the other.

[free_life2]

What he was too busy reading other peoples private emails to read the bill?

On another note Toews is taking all the heat and Harper is almost being ignored on this repressive Bill.

[WheatKing]

Humm.. so he's a liar or incompetent.

There should be calls for him to lose his position.

And if he didn't pen the bill then who did?

Ignorance isn't a justifiable position for leaders of the house, and the person presenting the bill.

[smallLliberal]

a resignation is required now.

but then again .. I thought that sleeping with a Chinese spy was worthy of a resignation, so what do I know

[styky]

a resignation is required now.

but then again .. I thought that sleeping with a Chinese spy was worthy of a resignation, so what do I know

I knew all was lost when government secrets were left at the girlfriends house and no one cared.