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Canadian Government Backs Down On Airport Recording

Posted by Soulskill on from the too-many-complaints-about-the-maple-leafs dept.

New submitter ryanakca writes "In a followup to a story we discussed on Sunday, Canadian Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has ordered a halt to the installation of eavesdropping equipment at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport until a privacy review could be completed. Although 'similar audio-video equipment has been operating at other Canadian airports and ports of entry for "many years,"' the Canadian Border Safety Agency failed to complete the Privacy Commissioner's required 'privacy impact assessment' before the Ottawa airport installation."

4 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. Wait for report... THEN install! by masteva · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hurray! So instead of putting them in now, the government will get a report done, spin it so it benefits them, THEN get them installed anyway but this time with some publicity of being "good for security and for the country"! Give me a break.

    --
    Practice Static Safety - Hack Naked
  2. Re:Wait for report... THEN install! by michaelwigle · · Score: 4, Informative
    FTA:

    "While a completed (privacy impact assessment) is not a requirement that prevents the CBSA from continuing with AV monitoring and recording, it will provide us with additional information concerning how we can strengthen current practices and continue to evolve our operations," Nadon said.

    Nope, it's install and use regardless of the report...

  3. This gov't doesn't care about (our) privacy by Maow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is the government that wanted anyone authorized by the Minister (Minister Vic "You-support-this-spying-bill-(which-I-Haven't-Read)-or-you-support-child-pornographers" Toews), someone such as Pierre Poutine, to scour telecommunication records of anyone they deem worthy (watch out opposition MPs - the old election fraud scams need updating).

    They're just worried about Conservative MPs using the airport on a weekly basis. After all, their privacy is paramount, such as the same Minister being so upset and the gov't going on a witch hunt when public court records were posted to VikiLeaks that showed this minister knocked up his baby sitter, left his wife & children, and didn't pay proper support payments.

    Worst government in Canada's history; an illegitimate regime aquiring majority status through lies & election fraud: a coup in other words. A silent one. Like Quebec's Quiet Revolution but on a national scale, and malevolent.

    /end rant

    1. Re:This gov't doesn't care about (our) privacy by Maow · · Score: 4, Informative

      So the Conservatives staged a coup by forcing the left-wing parties to push them into an election that no-one other than the left-wing politicians actually wanted?

      They're even more cunning than we thought!

      The election was forced because Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken ruled that Bev Oda, a minister of the Crown, and, separately, the Cabinet itself could both possibly be in contempt of parliament,[10] the latter for its ongoing refusal to meet opposition requests for details of proposed bills and their cost estimates.[11]

      SO, the Conservatives wouldn't disclose the budget costs, the Conservative Speaker found that they were possibly in Contempt on two issues.

      But you're okay with that apparently. "Transparency and accountability for thee, but not for me": CPC's unspoken slogan.

      PS, if you think the Liberal Party is "left-wing" you're out of your mind. They're mildly corporatist but wise enough to see which way the wind blows and change accordingly. Unlike the current ideologues...

      Oh, and you're also wrong in that the "left-wing" parties did not want an election, but the Conservatives forced it by being in Contempt - you know, the only crime (Contempt of Court) where you can get indefinite time behind bars.