Lawyer and constitutional expert Rocco Galati condemned Bill C-51 as a “dictatorial piece of legislation,” ahead of Tuesdays' Senate vote on the controversial bill to increase government powers to monitor citizens.

“We already have criminal provisions against terrorism, now they’ve made it a ‘thought crime’ if one is critical of the government. They’re trying to stomp out free speech,” said Galati, who previously said Bill C-51 would create "a modern day Gestapo," at a protest in Toronto on May 30 that formed part of a National Day of Action against the proposed legislation.

The Italian-born lawyer compared the law to dictatorial legislation introduced by fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in the 1930s.