Letter to Supporters: What will it cost?

Would you want up to three billion dollars1 of your country’s tax dollars spent on Vic Toews’ online spying plan? How would you feel if Public Safety Minister Vic Toews had already quietly set aside your tax dollars for the scheme? This isn’t a hypothetical question. Despite media stories saying the bill will die, just last week Vic Toews arrogantly proclaimed that the government is still "intent on proceeding" with his unpopular warrantless online spying bill.2 And he just set aside millions of your tax dollars to pay for it.3 Today, to push back, we’re launching a viral video—a new tool to help you educate as many Canadians as possible about this costly online spying scheme. We know from experience that when people get informed and get vocal en masse, we win.

Toews arrogantly proclaimed that the government is still "intent on proceeding" with his unpopular warrantless online spying bill. And he just set aside millions of your tax dollars to pay for it. Speak out now before this goes any further.

Your tax dollars at work...against you

Would you want up to three billion dollars1 of your country’s tax dollars spent on Vic Toews’ online spying plan? How would you feel if Public Safety Minister Vic Toews had already quietly set aside your tax dollars for the scheme?

This isn’t a hypothetical question. Despite media stories saying the bill will die, just last week Vic Toews arrogantly proclaimed that the government is still "intent on proceeding" with his unpopular warrantless online spying bill.2And he just set aside millions of your tax dollars to pay for it.3

Today, to push back, we’re launching a viral video—a new tool to help you educate as many Canadians as possible about this costly online spying scheme.We know from experience that when people get informed and get vocal en masse, we win.

Watch the video:

URL to email: http://openmedia.ca/Stand

Share it on Facebook »

Share it on Twitter »

Really, who wants to be forced to pay for their own surveillance—without any justification—when that money could be used to make telecom services cheaper, or just stay in our wallets?

Not only has Toews set aside our tax dollars—some have even floated the idea of imposing surveillance costs on you through a “public safety” tax added to your monthly Internet and phone bills.4

We have to push back against these costly and poorly thought-out schemes, first by educating Canadians about the government’s back-door maneuvers. MPs are in their ridings right now so it’s the perfect time to get their attention. In our next email, we’ll let you know which ones have already joined us as pro-privacy MPs ...and what you can do to convince those who haven’t.

If passed, Bill C-30 will have you paying for a range of authorities to invasively access your private data, at any time, without a warrant. We’re providing this video to you as a tool so you can fight back—we hope you’ll not only watch it, but also share it by forwarding this email, and through Facebook and Twitter.

For the Internet, fairness, and our basic right to privacy,

Lindsey, Reilly, and Steve, on behalf of your OpenMedia.ca Team

P.S. We would not be able to put these amplification tools together and come as far as we have in the fight against warrantless online spying without help from our contributors and Allies. If you haven’t already, please help keep up the charge by chipping in today.

Footnotes:

[1] Read our summary, Christopher Parsons: $80 Million dollars for Lawful Access Bill C-30 is a tall guesstimate, or find the original article here.

[2] Article from CBC News: Internet surveillance bill not dead, Toews says

[3] Law professor Michael Geist recently reported that “the Public Safety Report on Plans and Priorities for the coming year include a commitment to advance lawful access legislation and an allocation of $2.1 million specifically earmarked for the issue.”

[4] Article by Michael Geist: Police Recommended "Public Safety" Tax on Internet Bills

Want more to share?Check out our StopSpying.ca infographic.