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Dear Members of Parliament,

Please accept this collective open letter as an expression of the signatories’ deep concern that Bill C-51 (which the government is calling the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015) is a dangerous piece of legislation in terms of its potential impacts on the rule of law, on constitutionally and internationally protected rights, and on the health of Canada’s democracy.

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The bill was brought in by the Conservatives after the killings in October 2014 of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent in Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Ottawa by lone-wolf extremists.

A key feature of the replacement legislation is expected to be the creation of a multi-party, joint House of Commons-Senate committee, sworn to secrecy and reporting to the prime minister and through him to Parliament. It would have a full-time staff, access to the necessary secret information and be tasked with strategic oversight of every government department and agency with national security responsibilities, according to a source familiar with the content.

Early reaction is positive, but with a note of caution.

“It would be a new departure for the Canadian Parliament and what would be a very difficult task,” said Wesley Wark, a security and intelligence historian and scholar at the University of Ottawa.

“I’m glad we’ve arrived at this moment, it’s something that should have been done in Canada a long time ago. (But) it would be important to be cautious about expectations around the early performance of such a committee.”