For your sake and for animals too, I hope you will take action today to speak out about our democratic rights.
If fourteen Canadian Senators have their way, the ideas and research promoted by animal advocates could be monitored and suppressed – denying us our democratic rights. This brings to mind George Orwell’s dystopian vision in the book ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’.
Too dangerous to ignore.
Imagine having your name provided to federal authorities if you donate more than $5000 a year to an animal advocacy charity or not-for-profit.
Imagine that animal advocacy or environmental charities that publish information challenging claims made by the seal-trade industry and their political supporters could have their charitable tax-exempt status revoked.
In a report published by the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans titled, “Sealing the Future: A Call to Action”, these violations of our democratic rights are actually recommended by the Committee. Until now, we’ve believed that such an authoritarian proposal could never be included in an official document in Canada. We were wrong.
For the protection of your own democratic rights, and for animals, don’t let this stand.
We urge you to act today and click on the button below to alert your elected Member of Parliament to the Senate report and ask that they voice their concern regarding the report’s shameful recommendations.
A copy will also be sent to our Prime Minister. They all need to be made aware of this threat to democracy coming from unelected representatives in Canada’s Senate.
Keeping a list of names of those who disagree with government doctrine!
The classic novel Nineteen Eighty Four imagines a dystopian society that denies individual human rights through surveillance, and suppression of thoughts and ideas. Citizens are monitored to ensure that they are adhering to the approved ideology of the regime. In that fictional society, the “Thought Police” seek out and punish citizens who engage in “thoughtcrimes”. Wikipedia defines “thoughtcrimes” as: “the offense of thinking in a way not approved by the ruling party.”
We citizens have a right – and a responsibility – to hold governments accountable. Political dissent is a bedrock of free democracies and is necessary to maintain free societies.
Compiling the names of donors to organizations that disagree with the ideas of politicians – ideas that are “not approved by the ruling party” – seems dangerously close to the monitoring of “thoughtcrimes”, as portrayed in the novel. What would be the purpose of compiling those names? To intimidate those of us who dissent?
Let’s keep in mind that at the time another dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, was published, the suppression of the rights of women as portrayed in that novel seemed improbable in a modern society. Yet, in the nation to our south, we now see some politicians openly proposing that women’s pregnancies be monitored by the state. Just a few years ago it was unimaginable that such a thing could be openly discussed.
Now, in 2024, fourteen unelected Senators actually recommend that donors who support dissenting organizations, donors like you and me, should be monitored, and that dissenting organizations should be punished by losing their charitable tax licenses. Suppression of ‘thoughtcrimes’ indeed! Those Senators, and all of Parliament, have to be told that we Canadians will not stand for this dangerous creep of authoritarian ideas.
They call it ‘misinformation’. We call it dissent.
The excuse the Senators use to promote their dictatorial proposals is that those who disagree with government and the seal-killing industry are spreading ‘misinformation’.
We dispute that characterization.
Those of us who believe that animals have an inherent right to exist and to share this planet’s resources share information that promotes our own interpretation of issues. Such is the nature of public discussion.
Differing views in the public arena of ideas.
Dissent is a constant in public discussion. Free nations rely on vigorous and open public discourse.
Governments are often slow to embrace change, and activists have often been ahead of their governments in promoting better policies based on more accurate interpretations of research and fairness. Public discourse works best when conversations are carried out openly and in good faith.
Now, these fourteen Senators want not only to persecute seals, they want to persecute people like you and me, too.
Today, we are raising the alarm that a dangerous precedent has been set, one that seeks to persecute organizations that challenge government policies. Shocking proposals have been made in the Senate report that are now on the public record. This creep of tyrannical ideas is how we citizens can have our rights eroded.
Please – act now. Sadly, around the world we see increasing threats to democratic rights, rights that took decades, even centuries to establish. The erosion of our rights cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. The time to push back is now.
Sincerely,
Vicki Van Linden
Board Member
PS: Below is the exact quote from the proposal contained in the Senators’ report, “Sealing the Future: A Call to Action”.
“RECOMMENDATION 4 (Modifications to the Income Tax Act)
- The committee recommends that the Government of Canada urgently review and amend the Income Tax Act and all other related acts, as needed, to ensure that registered Canadian charities and non-profit organizations that produce or promote misinformation and/or disinformation about the seal harvest or seal products industry have their tax-exempt status revoked.
- In addition, the committee recommends that the Government of Canada amend the Income Tax Act to require registered Canadian charities and non-profit organizations to fill out information returns about donors, similar to those that are prescribed for registered journalism organizations in section 149.1(14.1) of the Act, which includes a public information return for the year in the prescribed form that lists each donor whose total gifts to the organization in the year exceed $5,000.”