OTTAWA - As the prime minister and his cabinet craft the latest anti-terror legislation, they'll be thrust into a familiar balancing act between civil liberties and public safety. <\/p>\n
Stephen Harper will also have to contend with the friction between the strong libertarian contingent in his caucus and those who support an enhanced role for government. <\/p>\n
There has been speculation that the bill, which Harper says will be introduced soon, will restrict speech that encourages or glorifies terrorism. Britain and France already have such controversial measures on the books. <\/p>\n
Harper and his cabinet have strongly condemned the attack on free speech and the press that occurred when Islamic extremists targeted France's provocative Charlie Hebdo magazine last week. <\/p>\n
Over the years, the Conservatives have introduced legislation and made political gestures that have spanned the spectrum from libertarian to interventionist. <\/p>\n
In the category of libertarian-inspired action: <\/p>\n
Dismantling the long-gun registry, derided by the government as wasteful and coercive to mostly law-abiding hunters, farmers and sports shooters. <\/p>\n
Axing the long-form census. The government argued the mandatory nature of the questionnaire was coercive and intrusive. <\/p>\n
Removing the prohibition on the dissemination of phone and Internet hate speech from the Canadian Human Rights Act. <\/p>\n
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Anti-Terror Bill Means Familiar Tug-Of-War For Harper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OTTAWA - As the prime minister and his cabinet craft the latest anti-terror legislation, they'll be thrust into a familiar balancing act between civil liberties and public safety. Stephen Harper will also have to contend with the friction between the strong libertarian contingent in his caucus and those who support an enhanced role for government. There has been speculation that the bill, which Harper says will be introduced soon, will restrict speech that encourages or glorifies terrorism Continue reading