Urgent action needed to stop Bill C-377 – Harper's invasion of your privacy

Ottawa – November 28, 2014 – On Wednesday, a motion to defeat Private Member's Bill C-377, Stephen Harper’s attack on workers and their unions, was rejected by the Senate. Having passed Second Reading, the bill is now back in Committee and there are reports that the government plans to bring the bill to a final vote within sixty days.

Bill C-377 targets union members and other workers by forcing unions to report every expenditure over $5,000. Were you treated unfairly at work and needed legal assistance to protect your rights? Harper wants the public to know about that. Did you enrol in an educational course to further develop your career skills? Harper wants the public to know about that too. The government should be protecting our personal information, not publicizing it.

Bill C-377 is not only undemocratic, but is also a major invasion of people's privacy. It infringes on provincial jurisdiction over labour issues, and would expose pensioners by requiring unions to disclose all of the benefits that they provide to members, including retirees. What's more, the bill is likely unconstitutional since it jeopardizes our inherent rights to freedom of expression and association.

Even some Conservative Senators have declared Bill C-377 "erroneous," and the Conservative Senator who motioned to defeat the bill called it "an absurdity" and "an affront to labour relations and...(the very) nature of Canada."  

With the bill heading for Third Reading in the Senate, urgent action is needed to tell our Senators to oppose and defeat this unconstitutional and undemocratic piece of legislation.

Please send a message to your Senator expressing your concerns about Bill C-377, and the Harper Government's attempt to invade your privacy, by signing the letter below.

We cannot let this happen – TAKE ACTION NOW!

Stop Bill C-377 by clicking on your province to send a letter to YOUR Senator.