Faithfully yours - Knowledge is power

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Published on Saturday, January 16, 2016

By Neil Strohschein

The Neepawa Banner

While on the campaign trail, Justin Trudeau made some rather grandiose promises. He wasn’t the only one doing this. Other party leaders did the same. That happens in federal elections.

One of his promises was that 25,000 Syrian refugees would be welcomed into Canada by the end of December, 2015. There was nothing wrong with his promise to welcome refugees. Nor was there anything wrong with the number he promised to welcome. 

But most Canadians, including me, knew that if this target was to be met, those entering Canada would come in with little or no screening; and the chances of a few radicals sneaking into Canada and causing trouble here were very good.

So we breathed a huge sigh of relief a month later when Trudeau announced that a few refugees would be welcomed in time for Christmas but that the rest would wait until the New Year. “We want to make sure,” he said, “that we do this right.” Score one for the new PM.

Now we hear that Trudeau has appointed two Cabinet ministers to review Canada’s Access to Information Act. There are two problems with the current law. The first is its age—Trudeau’s father introduced the Act in the 1970s, in the day when government communication was done by typed or handwritten memos issued in triplicate—one copy to the recipient, one to the sender, one kept on file. Today’s communication is done by email or instant message; and the Act needs new provisions to regulate how this information is stored and can be accessed.

A second concern is the amount of information that can be withheld. Trudeau wants to make more information available and make it easier for Canadians to get access to it. His argument is that an open government (which he hopes these changes will produce) is a better government.

I agree that the Act needs to be updated. But the legislation isn’t the problem. People in power who refuse to answer questions honestly, who use obscure regulations to withhold information from the public or who deliberately destroy information that could embarrass the government in power are the problem. They are why we need Access to Information legislation.

In a democratic society, the power rests with the people. But the people can not use that power in the way it is intended to be used unless they have the knowledge they need to use it wisely.

This is especially true in cases of national security; and our policy regarding refugees is a case of national security. Canadians need to be assured that those we welcome into this country are legitimate refugees and not terrorists trying to sneak into Canada by pretending to be refugees.

Government officials are the only ones who can give us these assurances and it is vital that they do so. We do not expect them to release information that is protected by privacy laws. But those laws do not cover the process used to screen refugees. That information can be released and, I would argue, it must be released. That is the only way to silence those who use social media to broadcast their messages of fear and hate. The truth will free us from bondage to fear.

My challenge to those in all levels of government is this: give us the information we need. Use appropriate discretion; but tell us what you can. Knowledge is power. We will use the power to destroy the culture of fear and help build a world of peace and tolerance.