RENEWING DEMOCRACY
PRIVACY RIGHTS & WHISTLE BLOWER PROTECTION
Even before the terrible events of September 11th, Canadians were passively experiencing a slow but steady erosion of individual privacy rights and democratic freedoms. This trend was driven by corporate marketing research/sales as well as “bureaucratic creep” from municipal, provincial and federal governments. This on-going erosion of privacy rights and basic democratic freedoms has accelerated under the cover of the general public anxiety generated by the terrorist attacks of September 11th. We do however know that one goal of terrorists is to force governments into a pattern of curtailing the rights and freedoms of their citizens in the name of security. The correct response from healthy democratic governments should be to consider the minimum restrictions required to provide good security. Instead, it appears that our governments generally seek to implement the maximum restrictions that are politically acceptable at a given point in time. This has been especially true with the federal government. This is how democracy is lost and terrorism ultimately wins. We must not go further down this dark road.
The Green Party would fight to restore privacy rights and a vibrant democracy in Ontario. We would reduce Ontario’s (representing 40% of Canada’s economy) dependance on foreign oil through our energy, transportation and development policies. We would implement zero tolerance policy for “exported terrorism” fund-raising and organizing in Ontario. In the short-term we would set up a Provincial terrorist risk assessment unit to identify risks and recommend measures to improve protection of nuclear facilities and other vulnerable areas and populations centres. Over the medium-term, we would progressively de-commission these vulnerable nuclear power plants as soon as energy alternatives are available.
Individuals in government and business who expose practices harmful to the public good need legal protection from any employer backlash. When we protect the rights of all workers to speak freely, they can protect our health, safety and environment. As government the Green Party would implement effective strong Whistle-Blower Protection legislation.
The Green Party would also:
- Strengthen the role of the Privacy Commissioner.
- Set-up a Provincial Commission on Privacy Rights and Democratic Freedoms to assess the full degree of the problem and provide recommendations for remedy where appropriate.
- Act on the recommendations of the Privacy Commissioner and the Provincial Commission.
- Take steps to reverse a trend that has seen the “criminalizing” of legitimate public dissent.
- Remove the undemocratic restrictions that prevent farm workers from organizing themselves into unions.