The Canadian Labour Congress has added its voice to the growing chorus of individuals and organizations opposed to Bill C-36, the federal government’s proposed Anti-Terrorism Act.

In a brief presented to the House of Commons standing committee on justice, the CLC warned that the new law will undermine political diversity in Canada and unfairly target union members and other activists for holding views that fall outside of the political "mainstream."

"Making it easy to criminalize the democratic practices of working people is no way to combat terrorism," said CLC vice-president Hassan Yussuf, one of several labour leaders to appear before the committee.

By staking-out a firm position against Bill C-36, the CLC joins other groups such as the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner and the Council of Canadians – who have all condemned the law as a gross and irresponsible over reaction to the events of Sept. 11.

As currently worded, the Anti-Terrorism Bill would allow police to arrest people without a warrant and detain them for up to 72 hours. It also gives security agencies such as the RCMP and CSIS broad new powers to eavesdrop on people and side-step protections outlined in the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

Government spokespeople have argued that union members have little to fear because the Act includes a definition of terrorism that specifically excludes "lawful advocacy, protest, dissent or stoppage of work."

But as the CLC points out in its brief, it would be easy for the government to paint a volatile picket line or a boisterous rally as "unlawful."

The CLC briefs goes on to argue that under the proposed bill, things like the recent Nova Scotia nurses walkout, the 1997 Days of Action in Ontario and the 1987 BC general strike "could be construed to fall within the definition of terrorism."

The CLC concluded its presentation by saying that the federal government has failed to clearly demonstrate why existing powers are not adequate to deal with the threat of terrorism.

However, if the government decides to proceed with the law despite the objections that have been raised by so many Canadians, the CLC said they should at least amend the definition of "terrorist activity" to clearly exclude acts of peaceful civil disobedience, advocacy and legitimate dissent.

In an effort to ensure that unnecessary restrictions are not imposed on future generations of Canadians, the CLC also recommended that the most contentious sections for the act be automatically abolished after three years.