CREDIT: MIKE RIDEWOOD / GETTY IMAGES NEWS / THINKSTOCK
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government's anti-terror bill can be troubling when other governments and administrations change.

Following the release of the movie Fight Club, there was probably a significant increase in Google searches along the lines of homemade napalm recipes. Brad Pitt’s character gives the (fake) recipe of equal parts gasoline and orange juice concentrate as an indication of his ability to make weapons out of household items. If the latest piece of controversial legislation put forward by the Conservative Party of Canada passes, however, searches like that could end with a knock of your door by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

As the House of Commons reconvenes this week, Bill C-51 will continue to be the subject of tremendous controversy. With myriads of advocates for free speech and civil liberty pitted against the bill, it seems like the ultimate showdown that the Harper government has been building towards since it came to power. The official motivation behind C-51, dubbed the anti-terror bill, is that government organizations need the ability to communicate information that could be pertinent to public safety and security. Beyond that, the bill enables the government to incarcerate individuals that it suspects might pursue terrorist activities.

The crux of the issue is in defining the terms of the legislation. The title of the bill is exceedingly reassuring – after all, who isn’t anti-terror? If the bill were titled “expanding the powers of government to allow us to suspend individual liberties for the sake of national security” it would sound far more alarming despite being far more accurate.

With the stringency that could be adopted under this new legislation, any attempts at satire or metaphorical criticism of the government could be perceived as threats to the country. The international community was enraged against the Russian government for incarcerating the punk rock group Pussy Riot, but under Bill C-51, the lyrics of bands like System of a Down and Rage Against the Machine could be construed as an attempt to incite violence.

In all likelihood, Bill C-51 would have little effect on how Canadians expressed themselves on a daily basis. The troubling aspect is that these powers would remain in place into the future as governments and administrations change. Political leaders are renowned for making poor decisions in a time of crisis. Whether it’s the internment of people of Japanese origins in Canada 75 years ago or the invasion of Iraq under the Bush administration in 2003, history is riddled with examples of ghastly lapses in judgements from top officials.

The immortal fear for every intelligence official is being incapable of pursuing a perceived threat only to have it lead to a devastating attack. Bill C-51 is designed to eliminate any legislative obstacle that could interfere with the investigation of a person who could be involved in terrorism. There’s a saying that goes “when you’re holding a hammer everything looks like a nail.” In a similar vein it’s easy to see how, seen through the lens of suspicion, the intimate details of any individual’s activities could appear suspicious.
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