They were cowardly acts: unarmed men were murdered in cold blood at close range.
These attacks on both our military and our most cherished democratic symbols were designed to frighten us. They were meant to embed within our minds an image of terror. They were meant to make us think differently about our surroundings and fellow citizens.
Canadians know that recent acts of terror, committed in the name of Islam, are an aberration of the Muslim faith. And they know that Canada’s mosques and other places of worship are venues for peace and community.
Continued, mutual co-operation and respect will help prevent the influence of distorted ideological propaganda posing as religion. We will walk forward together, not apart.
We are a proud democracy. We are a welcoming and peaceful nation, a country of open arms, open minds, and open hearts. We are a nation of fairness, justice, and the rule of law. We will not be intimidated into changing that by anyone.
Instead, these are the very values and ideals we must continue to rely on. These are also the values and principles which guide the Liberal Party of Canada in its actions.
Keeping Canadians safe is one of our most important responsibilities as leaders and elected officials. In order to do that, we must ensure both the security of Canadians and the protection of their rights and freedoms.
Last week, the government tabled Bill C-51, the Anti-terrorism Act, in Parliament. We welcome its measures that build on powers of preventative arrest, make better use of no-fly lists, and allow for more co-ordinated information-sharing by government departments and agencies.
We believe that these provisions will help keep Canadians safe, and that law enforcement requires expanded powers immediately. For these reasons, the Liberal Party of Canada will support Bill C-51.
Nevertheless, we recognize that there are concerns with this legislation, most notably in the areas of oversight and the need for regular reviews of our national security laws.
As Liberals, we believe that when a government asks its citizens to give up even a small portion of their liberty, it is that government’s highest responsibility to guarantee that its new powers will not be abused.
It is not enough, especially after all we have learned in the past 14 years, for governments to say: “trust us.”
That trust must be earned, it must be checked, and it must be renewed.
I also know that the individual freedoms we enjoy and cherish as Canadians cannot exist without collective security.
In an age when intelligence-gathering has become all the more important, so too, then, does the review process for our security agencies.
For a decade now, Liberals have called for greater oversight of our national security agencies. Of the “Five Eyes” group of allies — which also includes the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand — Canada is the only country without national security oversight by its representatives and legislators.
Liberals have two pieces of legislation before Parliament that will expand oversight mechanisms for our spy agencies, including through an all-party committee of parliamentarians.
Equally important is a mandatory review of this legislation. The Anti-terrorism Act was subject to review after a set amount of time when first introduced post-9-11, and it should be subject to a similar review now.
There are gaps in Bill C-51, specifically on oversight and mandatory reviews — and we in the Liberal party will offer amendments to address these gaps.
Canada’s response to terror must not be confined; it must include a robust plan for preventing radicalization before it takes root. Likewise, our security agencies must be adequately resourced so that they can carry out the new tasks required of them.
Liberals are prepared to support and improve the Anti-terrorism Act, and will act in good faith. We are hopeful that the government is serious about reaching across the aisle to keep Canadians safe, while protecting our rights and our values.
The current government can accept that Canadians want greater oversight and accountability, or we will take these amendments directly to Canadians in the election campaign.
Liberals are committed to keeping Canada safe, while protecting the values that make us Canadian.
Original Article
Source: thechronicleherald.ca/
Author: JUSTIN TRUDEAU
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