About Surveillance

Surveillance is a global issue, with personal information being shared across jurisdictions, at times in a manner that contravenes the most basic principles of privacy and freedom. Canadians can no longer be complacent and criticize the United States for allowing the NSA so much unsupervised power. We know startlingly little about what our government is doing – and, potentially, what foreign intelligence agencies are doing – with their personal information.

Privacy is integral to our freedom and the foundation upon which many of our rights are built. In democratic societies, governments must be accessible and transparent to their citizens. And individuals must be free to make informed choices about what personal details to reveal about their lives. Governments are permitted to access personal information only when authorized by law. The government is there at the pleasure of the governed – at least, in theory.

When it comes to the state’s power to conduct surveillance, critical privacy protections must include independent oversight. It is disturbing that there has been so little debate on this important issue, even in Parliament. It is time for citizens to speak out so that we can protect our freedom and take back our privacy. In a free and open society, we deserve no less.

To engage Canadians in this important debate, we will be holding a public symposium on International Privacy Day, January 28, 2014, to explore new ways forward, encouraging a more open dialogue with all Canadian security and intelligence organizations, and most important, with the public.