The government has tabled its online surveillance legislation, now dubbed the “Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act.”

Holding up his BlackBerry, NDP digital critic Charlie Angus said the bill would undermine the privacy of average Canadians. ”Now, every single Canadian citizen is walking around with an electronic prisoner’s bracelet,” Angus said after the tabling of the bill. ”I say to Vic Toews, ‘Stop hiding behind the boogey man. Stop using the boogey man to attack the basic rights of Canadian citizens.’ Is Vic Toews saying that Stockwell Day supports child pornography? Is Vic Toews saying that every privacy commissioner in this country who has raised concerns about this government’s attempt to erase the basic obligation to get a judicial warrant, is he saying that they’re for child pornography?”

As public safety minister, Mr. Day rejected the notion of giving police the power to obtain online information without a warrant. The privacy commissioner has said the Harper government has not provided sufficient justification for such power. And police forces have so far been unable to explain why they need the power. More from our Jesse Brown here, here, here and here.