Canadian Anti-Spam Bill and Surveillance Bills to Die on Order Paper

This could very well be another case where other political issues having an interesting effect on technology.

Note: This is an article I wrote that was published elsewhere first. It has been republished here for archival purposes

There was some political wrangling happening in the background over the Summer between the two largest political parties. Some suggest that it was that political wrangling that created the most recent surveillance legislation to date.

While the surveillance legislation made some waves, the issue never really moved much outside of a few of its biggest fans doing a little cheer leading every so often in Parliament. Since nothing really became of the issue, it seemed to stay on the back burner in spite of it being a major issue for Canadians who are well aware of their rights.

Now, it seems the current governing party is signalling that it would prorogue parliament. The government says that it’s just to tackle some economic issues while the opposition suggests its to run away from the issues of torture swirling the political landscape. On the surface, it seems like something that wouldn’t affect any technology related issues at all.

Those who think this won’t have any effect on issues we’re concerned about may be surprised then. While proroguing parliament can be seen as a political time out, it also has an interesting effect on legislation currently tabled. Michael Geist points out that among the legislation that will die will be the surveillance legislation (C-46, C-47 and, by extension, C-58) and the anti-spam legislation (C-27).

For many, it could be a win some and lose some, but it does lead us to a question of the day. If you had a choice between no surveillance and no spam laws and surveillance and spam laws, which would you choose?

Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.