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Unfortunately, at a time when we need responsible approaches to protecting Canadian values and freedoms, Prime Minister Harper is playing politics and putting our freedoms at risk. Canadians are right to suspect the Harper government’s new anti-terror bill, C-51, goes too far. After careful review of this complex legislation and its negative impacts, the Official Opposition New Democrats will not support bill C-51.

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The world has been shocked by recent atrocities perpetuated by jihadi terrorists. We have witnessed outrageous acts of violence by extremists who attack those that don’t share their narrow and oppressive ideologies. As a result, acts of terror have been carried out across Western nations, most recently in France, Belgium, Australia, Denmark and here at home in Canada. Today, we are part of a global struggle against brutal extremism, including in the fight against ISIL. Mr. Mulcair has proposed that we ignore this fact by voting against the Anti-Terrorism Act.

On many occasions, the excellent work of our national security agencies and police forces has foiled attempts to terrorize Canadians. Recent attacks in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and on Parliament Hill in our nation’s capital have revealed that terrorism is evolving. Our government introduced the Anti-Terrorism Act to keep up with the ever-changing terror tactics which confront us.

Mr. Mulcair says that “Canada already has strong laws that make it an offense to incite a terrorist act,” however, it is currently not a criminal offence to advocate or promote terrorism. The ability to arrest someone who is, in general terms, advocating or promoting the activity of terrorism does not exist. The current threshold for arrest in the Criminal Code is specific to someone who “knowingly instructs, directly or indirectly, any person to carry out a terrorist activity.” Our amendment would fill this gap by making it a crime for a person to knowingly promote or advocate the commission of terrorism offences in general.