Mr. Speaker, upwards of 80,000 Canadians have signed OpenMedia's stop online spying petition and the members of my riding in Davenport in Toronto wish to put their names forward here in the House of Commons to have their voices and concerns heard on this very issue.
Today, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons said that one of Canada's greatest values is freedom of speech. I would extend that to include the protection civil liberties. This is why many people in my riding are concerned about what we are calling lawful access legislation, which we expect from the government soon. The people in my riding wish to speak to this issue.
The petitioners note that this legislation would require all telecommunications companies to collect and store personal information about their users and hand over that information at the request of law enforcement without a warrant. Internet and phone service providers would pass the cost of spying onto their consumers. Furthermore, Canadian authorities have not provided the public with evidence that they cannot perform their duties under current regulations. The petitioners also note that the Canadian Privacy Commissioner has stated that the legislation would substantially diminish the privacy rights of Canadians.
Therefore, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to respect the privacy rights of Canadians by maintaining the need for law enforcement to secure judicial warrants before receiving personal information from telecom communications providers.