Tags: Eva Sajoo, Eye on BC, Federal Politics, Politics - Canada, Politics - Scandals

Stephen Harper’s aversion to honest dissent

A recipe for polarization

© Troy Media. Please contact the publisher to inquire about publication rates for this column.

June 17, 2012

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VANCOUVER, Jun 17, 2012/ Troy Media/ – ‘If you aren’t with us, you’re with the child pornographers.’ This was the memorable response of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews in response to criticism of his online security bill in February. Far from being an isolated outburst, it is a sentiment that captures the attitude of Stephen Harper’s government on a whole range of issues, from ecology and First Nations to complicity in torture. Criticizing Harper’s policies invites a moral reduction to ‘we are Canada’ and you are an outsider.

It is a recipe for the kind of polarization we associate with our southern cousins, during the McCarthy years and post-9/11 George Bush.

Government applying a financial gag on dissent

To take the latest example, Bill C-38, which Parliament recently voted on, contains a range of measures intended to nullify or silence dissent. Environmental groups protesting the Enbridge pipeline project have been characterised as ‘radicals’ and ‘enemies of the government of Canada’. Under Bill C-38, the government will be able to intimidate such groups by threatening to revoke their charitable status – in effect applying a financial gag. Further, the bill allows the government to cut short public hearings and ignore environmental assessments – that is, if any funding remains to conduct them.

This is unlikely, given the elimination of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Far from being a partisan organisation, the Round Table involved Canadians from across the political spectrum, examining the challenges, conducting scientific studies, and researching options for sustainable development to advise Parliament and the public. The cuts to this program prompted former Reform and Conservative MP Bob Mills, a member of the Round Table, to speak out against the decision. But this government is interested neither in scientific evidence nor dissenting Canadian voices. It will ignore both.

Buried in the pages of Bill C-38 is the only watchdog organisation which monitored CSIS. It too will be a casualty of this legislation. This should be a matter of concern to Canadians, especially in the wake of the findings of the UN Committee on Torture. In its recent review of Canada, the Committee found that our government has been ‘complicit’ in the torture and detention of three Arab-Canadian men.

Like Maher Arar, Canadian citizens Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Elmaati, and Muayyed Nuruddin were rendered to Syria and Egypt, where they were imprisoned for several years and questioned with the full knowledge – and even participation – of CSIS. No evidence has emerged to justify any charges against them, and they are currently suing the Canadian government for their mistreatment. Surely this shows that scrutiny of our national intelligence agency is vital. The treatment of these men is a direct violation of the UN Convention on Torture. It sets a chilling precedent for unaccountable state power which can be deployed against anyone deemed ‘suspicious’.

But the government response to the report of the UN Committee was contemptuous. A spokesperson for Minister Toews said that the UN was wasting its time investigating Canada, and should focus on ‘serious concerns regarding human rights violations across the world’.

Harper government in denial

The same response was given to the UN Special Rapporteur on Food Security, who dared to make critical comments after his visit in May. Despite the Attawapiskat scandal and the shocking poverty of many other First Nations communities, the Harper government was adamant in its denial of the problem. Both UN reports were part of a standard review process that all nations who sign various UN protocols are subject to. The external UN reviews are intended to ensure accountability, which is hardly to be expected when a government investigates itself.

Not only has the Harper government refused to acknowledge any room for improvement, Conservative MP Larry Miller has suggested that Canada consider withdrawing from the UN. If we can’t bully international critics into silence, we can try to keep them from visiting.

As a further demonstration of contempt for human rights, Minister Toews recently permitted CSIS to accept evidence obtained through torture. If we aren’t with the government on this, we are, presumably, with the terrorists.

Eva Sajoo is a Research Associate with the Centre for the Comparative Study of Muslim Societies and Cultures at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. She has a graduate degree in International Development and Education from the University of London. Her published academic writing focuses on the rights of women and minorities. She has contributed widely to publications on Islam and the Muslim world. Eva has taught at the University of British Columbia, and the Beijing University of Science and Technology. She currently teaches at SFU. Website: http://www.ccsmsc.sfu.ca/about_us/faculty/eva_sajoo

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© Troy Media. Please contact the publisher to inquire about publication rates for this column.

© Troy Media