This just in from Ottawa: The government -- backed by the Liberals -- have ignored Canadians and used their parliamentary majority to force Bill C-51 through the House of Commons. Despite massive opposition from hundreds of thousands of everyday Canadians and the country’s top privacy experts, the reckless bill is a step closer to become the law of the land.

Here's who sided with Canadians: 96 MPs, mostly from the NDP and the Green Party. Thanks to each and every one of them for doing the right thing and voting down this Bill. Sadly, Conservative and the Liberal MPs teamed up to force it through -- and we won’t let them forget it come October’s election.

This development is bad news, although not entirely surprising, but it does not mean Bill C-51 has become law. It means we need to keep up the pressure on the Senate and, if passed there, all the way through to the October election. If this bill becomes law, we will make sure every Canadian voter knows where their MP stood when it mattered most.

Above all, Bill C-51 underlines just how stark Canada’s privacy deficit has become. And we need a comprehensive approach to fix it. That’s why, in the coming weeks, we’ll launch a positive pro-privacy action plan, packed with ideas from tens of thousands of Canadians, aimed at addressing the privacy deficit. Stay tuned for more on this!

The next stage of this fight will be absolutely crucial: With Bill C-51 now before the Senate, it’s vital that we keep up the pressure. Don’t forget -- every voice makes a difference. With a federal election around the corner, we’re betting there are quite a few nervous Conservative and Liberal MPs who know there’ll be a real political price to pay for voting through this reckless, dangerous and ineffective legislation.

Over 210,000 Canadians have now signed the petition against the bill at StopC51.ca and tens of thousands more have inundated MPs with letters, phone calls, emails and tweets to express their opposition.

It’s never been more important to add your voice to our growing campaign. You can pitch in by signing our petition at StopC51.ca, by using our quick tool to get a letter published in your local newspaper, or by chipping in to power this fight over the long run at https://OpenMedia.org/privacy/donate

Let's keep speaking up, Canada!