How a liberal democracy responds to dissent is an important question and often a subject of sharp division. This was amply demonstrated when in early 2015 the Conservative government introduced Bill C-51, its sweeping anti-terrorism legislation designed to protect Canadians from terrorists who, according to minister of public safety Steve Blaney, were seeking to destroy the values Canadians cherish. For many, the legislation was merely the latest attempt by the Canadian government to stifle dissent through a long list of measures that included cancelling the long-form census, muzzling scientists and auditing non-profit organizations. Yet some 82 percent of Canadians initially supported Bill C-51 and, even after a spirited attack on the legislation, support remained high, at about 40 percent. While many opposed this particular bill, nearly 60 percent of Canadians insisted that tough measures were needed to deal with terrorism, a number that has tended to rise during moments of...
Raymond B. Blake is a professor and the head of the Department of History at the University of Regina. His most recent book is Lions or Jellyfish: Newfoundland-Ottawa Relations Since 1957 (University of Toronto Press, 2015).
Advertisement
Advertisement