Senate Passes Bill C51

The controversial anti-terror legislation has officially passed on the federal level.

Bill C51 was passed by the Senate on Tuesday, and Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney is happy to see the much debated bill move forward under federal law.

The Bill was passed with a 44-28 majority.

“I am pleased to announce that the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, was adopted at Third Reading and passed by the Senate today. This legislation demonstrates our government’s leadership in the global fight against terrorism,” said Blaney. “The first duty of any Government is to keep its citizens safe. That is why our Government introduced the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, to better protect Canadians against terrorist threats by giving our police forces the tools they need to keep Canadians safe.”

Under the legislation, the anti-terrorism act will criminalize the advocacy and promotion of the commission of terrorism offences, help prevent terrorists from travelling and recruiting others, and provide law enforcement with additional resources.

The unelected, under investigation Senate just passed #C51. Canadians can count on an #NDP government to repeal this dangerous law. #Abolish

— Tom Mulcair (@ThomasMulcair) June 9, 2015

The disputed legislation has been a hot topic of debate since its initial inception, as federal opposition parties, local municipalities, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, and the BC Privacy Commissioner have all voiced their strong opposition to Bill C51.

Leading the charge to repeal Bill C51, Open Media is calling on Canadians to sign a petition to rescind the controversial act. Over 240,000 Canadians have already signed the petition against the new legislation. Moreover, the NDP and the Green Party have pledged to repeal the Bill and will be working hard to quash C51 as Canada moves into the 2015 federal election.

On May 7th, the federal government passed the new legislation in the House of Commons. After passing through the House of Commons, the Bill was then referred to the Senate. Moving forward, legislation will be presented to the Governor General for assent. Once the Bill is given Royal Assent, it becomes law.