XPost: can.politics, ab.politics   
   From: politico@astraweb.com   
      
   The push-back has been huge - from all corners of Canada and all levels of   
   professionals and citizens.  The Cons are promising to 'make amendments'.  But   
   unless they're the amendments that opponents have been suggesting, this could   
   just be a game of flim-flam.  Again.   
      
   Will they allow oversight?  Will they need judicial warrants for spying on   
   Canadians?  Will they stop CSIS from spying on environmentalists and   
   scientists?   
   Don't trust that this 'scaled back' version is going to be acceptable to the   
   Opposition or to the majority of Canadians.   
   ______________________________________________   
      
   CBC News Posted: Mar 27, 2015   
      
   Anti-terror Bill C-51 to be scaled back as Tories respond to criticism   
   Changes to be put forward during clause-by-clause review   
      
   The government will propose a handful of amendments to the proposed anti-terror   
   bill when it goes to clause-by-clause review on Tuesday, CBC News has learned,   
   including a proposal that would protect protests from being captured by the new   
   measures.   
      
   "Many witnesses were concerned that by saying "lawful" protests would not be   
   considered terrorist acts, it meant that protests which were not necessarily   
   terrorist, but not necessarily legal, could be," CBC News correspondent Chris   
   Hall explained in an interview on CBC News Network on Friday afternoon.   
      
   "For example, incidents of chaining yourself to a fence to protest, a logging   
   decision or mine development."   
      
   That section will be changed to narrow the scope of what might be captured as a   
   terrorist-related activity, he said.   
      
   The government will also put forward an amendment to make it clear that CSIS   
   agents would not have the power to arrest people.   
      
   Sources have told CBC News that the Tories may propose as many as 10   
   amendments.  They could also vote to reject particularly problematic elements   
   during clause-by-clause review.   
      
   "As we have said for many weeks, we are open to amendments that make sense and   
   that improve the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015," a senior government official told   
   CBC News.   
      
   Thus far there is no indication the government will heed the calls for   
   increased oversight.   
      
   The Tories could, however, introduce separate legislation to expand the mandate   
   and boost the powers of the Security Intelligence Review Committee that   
   oversees CSIS.   
      
   Both the New Democrats and the Liberals have already served notice that they   
   plan on putting forward amendments as well, the bulk of which would go further   
   than what the government will propose.   
      
   The House public safety committee will begin clause-by-clause review on   
   Tuesday.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)