The Effects Of Bill C-51 On The Rule Of Law

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Rule of Law as follows: “The restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well-defined and established laws.” While this definition effectively encompasses the scope of the legal principle in question, it does not possess thorough guidelines for establishing whether or not it is being followed. However, even using only this layman’s definition, it is already clear that Bill C-51 violates the Rule of Law. In particular, the requirement that the laws restricting arbitrary power must be ‘well-defined’. The text of Section 12.1 of the bill enables CSIS to “[Take] measures, within or outside Canada, to reduce the threat,” and only requires that there be “reasonable grounds to believe”