These are two separate opinions from The Globe and Mail and the Barrie Examiner. They are based on lack of movement with the bill, and timing. Public opinion on the bill turned dramatically when sponsor and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews made his infamous political gaffe, that critics “can either stand with us or with the child pornographers.”
The usual course for a new bill after its first reading is for debate on a second reading to begin. Following the public reaction to Toews, however, the government sent the draft to the public safety committee for revision. “What has happened since?” asks the Globe and Mail. “Nothing. And that nothing is everything.” That makes C-30 ‘dead in the water’ it adds.
This view is shared by the Barrie Examiner. “Bill C-30 has been sent to the public safety committee, where it’s supposed to be extensively revised... But many Ottawa watchers feel it won’t see the light of day again.”
The Vancouver Weekly, however, comes to a very different conclusion. It writes, “a recent report by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in the House of Commons suggests the bill may be returning to the light of day in the near future, and with even more invasive provisions than it had previously.” Vancouver Weekly’s conclusion is the “the fight against online spying legislation is not over.”
This last opinion conforms more closely to common political practice. When new bills come up against massive public antipathy, they tend to be withdrawn until the furore subsides. They are then brought back, either as is, or in a new cloak. Similar is happening in Europe, where the ACTA proposals have been referred to the European Court for a ruling on its compatibility with European Law. This is largely viewed as a delaying tactic in the face of growing hostility. The pro-ACTA European Commission wants the European Parliament to wait until a court ruling is made; but the increasingly anti-ACTA parliament wishes to proceed with a vote on ratification or rejection without further delay this summer.