Can you imagine purchasing your first new home. You’re incredibly excited. You receive the keys and race off to your house. Upon arrival, you meet Mr Carney with his bed already assembled in the master bedroom. There’s only one garage, and it’s occupied by Mr Carney’s car.

“Wait a minute!” You object. “This is my home. I just bought it.”

Then the truth comes out. Your purchase agreement contained a hidden clause. It was like an Omnibus Bill. Hidden amidst all of the small print of the details of your purchase of the house was a little section that contained the right of Mr. Carney to take up residence in your home.

“But, the purchase agreement has nothing to do with Mr Carney,” you object. But, you signed the contract, and that was part of the contract you signed.

She’s crazy, you’re likely thinking about me. But, Canadians have been duped in the past with Omnibus Bills that carry unexpected Trojan Horses.

An omnibus bill is a single document that is accepted in a single vote by a legislature. But it packages together several diverse measures into one bill. A sample was P.E. Trudeau’s 1967 Omnibus Bill, “Just Society” packaged as modernizing the law. The sheer volume of changes made it difficult to debate and to know the content of the bill.

Having a Trojan Horse in these bills is a way to get a vote on something that the public was not expecting and sometimes not wanting. For example, when the Liberal government presents their budget bill in Parliament, it may contain Recommendation 430, which will remove from places of worship the ability to issue tax receipts with the consequence of the assets of all places of worship being forfeit to the government. One year later, all the churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, etc. will cease to have any assets . . . even if the assets were accumulated before churches started issuing tax receipts.

The Budget is a confidence motion, so once it’s before Parliament then—if it is voted down–an election is triggered. What a challenge that would be!

Another sample is C-2, the nice, safe name is “The Strong Borders Act”. Should Bill C-2 be passed, then it includes with it the right for Canada Post to search your mail. It would allow police to search your emails and other online information sources without a warrant. Your information could also be shared with foreign governments. You can read more about that in this Communiqué.

Last week, Rod spoke about Bill C-8, which is a rerun of Bill 26 from the last Parliament. This is euphemistically known as “An Act respecting cyber security”. Its purpose is to bolster cyber security and to make it more difficult for malicious actors to hack into the sensitive information of governments, businesses and individuals.

Frighteningly, it also contains the requirement that Internet Service Providers are required to spy on their clients and provide information to police without a warrant. The government can also prohibit you from internet service.

Imagine arriving in that new house, with Mark Carney in your master bedroom, and then you find that you are prohibited from receiving internet service. You thought you had a right to it, but the passing of Bill C-8 took the right from you.

We’ve talked a lot this year about information security, government over-reach, and budgetary recommendations, but these are important topics. We are not living through a time where these are just academic questions. We are living in a time where our government has chosen to implement controls over our rights and freedoms.

In contrast to that type of leadership, the CHP, unlike other political parties, has chosen to respect your right to visit our website without us sending tracking information to Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and other organizations that cull and sell your information. You need only go to the website of other political parties and look at the Duck Duck Go Privacy Essentials Extension, to see what information is given out from each of Canada’s political parties. It’s an eye-opener.

CHP Canada would implement laws that put you in charge of your digital footprint. Your personal information, data and communication belong to you and could not be bought or sold without your permission.

This is the type of protection that Canadians need if we are going to retain the freedoms that Canada has always offered. It’s not about our government controlling us; it’s about us electing and then keeping a tight rein on our government.

Ensure you check the links providing more information on these two bills, and make sure you speak to your Member of Parliament about these bills—C-2, C-8, and the Budget—to ensure that your rights and freedoms are protected.