Mr. Speaker, it is widely known in political science that the state is the coldest monster on earth. As parliamentarians--and the same applies to all Canadians--we have to ensure that this cold monster never has under its control things that could be prejudicial to the development, the happiness, the security and the rights and freedoms of all Canadians.
Therefore, as soon as we parliamentarians give the state, that is the government or the machinery of government, more power than it needs, our individual rights and freedoms are intrinsically in danger.
Let us see what this means for the average citizen. If people decide to travel out of interest, as tourists, on holidays or on business, travellers for example, just because they often visit certain parts of the world, they will automatically be under a cloud of suspicion.
Let us say, for example, Mr. Speaker, that you have a new girlfriend who lives in a somewhat suspicious country, in the Middle East for instance, and that you visit her quite often. We all know that it is difficult to maintain a long distance love affair, but let us take this example anyway. The mere fact that you are travelling there regularly to visit this person would put you under a cloud of suspicion.
This kind of suspicion, of ready-made opinion, that the state could have on a citizen just because he or she travels to certain parts of the world is but an example. Many other examples could have been chosen or described in relation to the threat Bill C-17 poses to the rights and freedoms of Quebeckers and Canadians, particularly the threat to privacy.