Environmental Groups? Yeah, Vic Toews Hates Them Too

He's got a lot of love to give, just not for environmentalists

"Terrorist action occurs when an extremist ideological group plans to carry out a violent attack that reasonably can be expected to kill people or destroy property," (italics mine) said Michael Patton, Vic Toews' communication director in an email to the Globe and Mail.

And this is where the overreach begins.

When Canadians think of Greenpeace Canada, they don't think of them like CSIS, the RCMP or Vic Toews do. They don't see them as 'extremists' and 'radicals'. So why the harsh language? Is it just for show?

Consider the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act. If you commit an 'act of terror', you are subject to it. Specifically, it allows for the designation of a group as a terrorist organization and that means once you're a terrorist group. Once your group gets that designation, it is a crime to:

1. Knowingly collect or provide funds, either directly or indirectly, in order to carry out terrorist crimes.
2. Knowingly participate in, contribute to or facilitate the activities of a terrorist group.

So let's go back to to the original quote that a terrorist act can simply consist of an ideological group destroying property. What exactly is meant here? Burning down entire buildings or monkey wrenching? The latter describes acts like sabotage to machinery, jamming locks with glue and other acts that are destructive but non-violent. I think that a judge would, hopefully, rule that this isn't in keeping with the spirit in which the law was written. I would hope that life in prison, as is the fate of Momin Khawaja, should not befall someone who has put sugar in the gas tank of a Shell tanker truck or donated money to an environmental group that has done so.

But is this an excuse to target these groups? This isn't an isolated quote from the Harper Government. 

The groups that have been targeted by this government have never advocated violence. In Canada, our environmental groups are dedicated to raising awareness, lobbying, research and a fraction of them commit acts of civil disobedience. There's nothing 'radical' or 'extreme' about them.

I'd argue that it's unfair to lump even the foreign environmental groups that have committed destructive acts - namely arson - with violent killers.

When there's an oil spill, energy companies pay a fine and move on. When they don't follow environmental standards and laws, they also just pay a fine and move on. Communities suffer, aquifers are contaminated and animals die but CEOs aren't sent to jail for any of this. 

With all this in mind, I recommend you check out the documentary "If A Tree Falls" on CBC Sunday at 10pm. It deals with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and what led to some very ordinary people to take part in a lot of property destruction. Spoiler alert: the desire to crackdown on environmental groups, limit debate and speed-up the regulatory process is a bad idea.

Here's a preview: