Dear Adam Carroll AKA “Vikileaks30″
I do not know how to contact you directly, so I hope this finds you well. I do know that you are a former Liberal staff member, and that you have been dismissed from your position because of your work on revealing Vic Toews’ personal indiscretions on twitter. The media and your party has thrown you under the bus to show their dedication to ‘civility’ in parliament. The same civility that is lacking when they write legislation, debate one another, and run campaigns.
In my eyes, you were right to do what you did and you deserve nothing less than our utmost respect.
I have been following you on twitter since day one and I would like to personally thank you for your great work when it comes to holding public figures accountable. I know that many in your party believe your work to be ‘undignified’ or ‘low-brow’ or any number of terms that could be easily translated to mean “I am old and I don’t understand you”. I disagree with these points of view, and I am happy to explain why.
This was already public information. Divorce courts publish this kind of data to prevent litigation. Vikileaks30 did not in fact, ‘leak’ anything that was not already on the public record. They simply shared existing public documents that were not getting a lot of attention in a novel way that would increase attention to them. It was a clever stunt, and it worked beautifully. The intent of the account was not to say that Vic Toews is a terrible person because he has a mistress, but rather that personal privacy is a good thing that needs to be protected. I believe this will make Canadian parliamentarians think twice (and actually read it at least once) before introducing any bill that violates our charter rights.
Vikileaks30 did not share any significantly personal or dangerous information. Although it is quite easy to find, Vikileaks30 did not share the names and addresses of Vic Toews family, friends and babysitters. The account did not share phone numbers or e-mails. In short, it did not legitimately violate the privacy of anyone, not even Toews himself- the man who threatened to violate the privacy of all Canadians through this unprecedented and dangerous bill.
Vikileaks30 was an autonomous action that was not done in the name of the Liberal Party. Because the bureaucratic mechanisms of the Liberal Party and Parliament would prevent any sort of meaningful accountability for Toews in the short term, Vikileaks30 took an autonomous action to stand up for their own rights. This was fearless citizen journalism, not a partisan attack. Given that Bill C-30 is designed to take away the right to online privacy from Canadians, it is only fitting that the accountability be in the form of information that Toews would prefer not logged, read, or passed on without his consent or knowledge.
The character of our elected representatives is often important and relevant information to the electorate. Liberal leader Bob Rae has said that personal affairs shouldn’t be the subject of political attacks, which is a broad statement that I generally agree with. However, I believe there are some specific exceptions to this. If a viciously homophobic politician who is looking to write policy to infringe on the rights of homosexuals is caught leaving a gay bath house, that is something that merits public attention. When a politician like Bob Rae says that personal affairs shouldn’t be brought into politics in the name of civility, he is providing cover for the hypocrisy and otherwise contrary behaviour of politicians that need to be held accountable. Standing up for what you believe is right is more important than shallow actions done in the name of the banner you stand under.
I want to again thank you Vikileaks30, for the wonderful public service you have done the people of Canada. While the Liberal Party of Canada may not be willing to embrace your fearless and important work, we at the Pirate Party certainly are. I invite you to leave the Liberal Party to join us. Open information is the right of all Canadians, and you have provided us something more memorable and relevant on the subject of Bill C-30 than any of our elected representative in parliament have. Thank you.
Shawn Vulliez
Leader
Pirate Party of Canada / Parti Pirate du Canada
I support this message 100%. Mr Carroll, you did our country a service and if there is any justice in the world it will not have been in vain.
Good letter and although I myself am NOT a Pirate Party Member I believe that Adam Carroll is a Canadian Hero.
I also believe that private lives should be private. However, Vic Toews campaigned saying he had Strong Family Values. He opened the topic of his private life and he was lying. While promoting himself based on his strong family values he was cheating with a very young employee. I really do not care what someone’s sex life is. I DO CARE when they tell us lies in order to get elected. While going on and on about deadbeat dads and how they must not be tolerate, in the House, turns out, he is one. This truly makes him unfit to govern.
Mr Carroll, you have given us a sliver of a chance to get rid of a terrible government at the very moment when they are making a coup d’etat. I do not know how it will end. But if we manage to get rid of them before they do too much more damage it will be due to your bravery and honesty. Canadians owe you a huge debt of gratitude. I sincerely hope that this debt will be paid sooner, rather than later.
Most Sincerely,
Susan Hannah Rankin
Cowichan Bay, BC
PS You are welcome in my home any time.
Thank you for taking action. You have inspired others. You have outlined what we expect from our politicians: representation and the courage to do what is right.
Respect,
Min Reyes
Thank you Mr. Carroll for having the courage to make important information easily available to the Canadian public. Transparency in politics is so important and yet is rarely employed. Though the contents of vikileaks were of a personal nature, the reprehensible behaviour of Vic Toews definitely warranted that he be exposed for the hypocrite that he is.
All the best to you Mr. Carroll and thank you again on behalf of all Canadians who value truth and justice.
If Carroll had done this to any other MP (of any party) I would have been extremely upset at the “low blow”, but Vic Toews decided that the internet should no longer offer anonymity and should spy on its users…it was a well-deserved blow to his plans for mass-surveillance of others. Kudos to Carroll.
Excellent letter and I agree 100%. Adam Carroll: pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and join the PPoC. This isn’t about “getting even”. As someone very experienced in Canadian politics, I believe you could make great contributions. You also seem to have your heart in the right place, which always helps.
As a member of the Pirate Party of Canada I fully endorse this blog post.
Adam Carroll is a true patriot and hero to the Canadian people. By attempting to take away the privacy Canadians value Vic Toews opened himself up to an attack on his privacy. The information contained was of public record but of a personal and I might even consider private nature.
Perhaps next time an MP puts something on the table they will actually read it. However, I feel he actually read it and didnt care either way.
Great letter. Adam Carroll did the citizens of Canada a great service - exposing the hypocrisy of our elected officials and doing what our media failed to do. Thank you.
Stumbled upon yo web site, first thing I opened. I agree in full with this letter. There was no information that was not already in the public arena. The Conservative Party is a Hypocrisy. They feel that it is ok to slander and lie about others but when you tell the truth about them, do they ever get upset.
Brigette DePape, Adam Carroll: breaths of fresh spring air in this autumn of our discontent.
100 %. You did good kid.
Though I am nominally of the same generation as the Minister of Public Safety, I suspect it is necessary to remind Canadians that-contrary to the Conservative-promoted image of “boomers” as selfish, self-centred folks with an entitlement complex-a majority of us were the very people who pressed for equal rights for all, honest and open government, environmental awareness and accessibility of education and health services regardless of one’s ability to pay. Many, if not most, of us are also concerned with things like free speech and the rule of law, not to mention active in using modern technologies.
As far as I am concerned, what Adam Caroll did was well within his rights: Canadians still have the right to free expression, on or off the Internet, and what he posted was nothing but publicly-available information. One can argue that it was done in poor taste, and/or showed poor judgement on the part of an employee of an opposition party but he has certainly paid a price for that. To suggest that what he did was illegal is absurd. To argue that his employer must have been behind it is ridiculous. To claim it was somehow a breec of Parliamentary privilge is simply nuts. And I suspect even Mr. Toews understands now that an attempt ar a defamation suit against Mr. Carroll would ultimately fail since the truth of the statements from the public records is an adequate defense.
Meanwhile, Mr. Caroll did the Canadian public a real service in underlining just how uncomfortable it can be to have one’s private life investigated and publicized. Policing in Canada is better than in many other countries but there are far too many cases where the lives of citizens were spied on for no good reason, sometimes leading to undeserved and often terrible consequences for those individuals. This is why our laws require things like warrants and (until recently) prohibited prolonged detention without charge. The potential for abuses, mistaken identity and simple incompetence exists. Bill C-30 as presented threatened to reverse the presumption of innocence and eliminate an important element of judicial oversight. From the Minister responsible’s own public statements, he either was unaware of the bill’s true contents and implications (which seems unlikely in a former minister of justice) or determined that Canadians were stupid enough to be fooled by the bill’s deceptive new title and an outrageous attempt to bully our MPs into acquiescence.
In fact, Mr. Toews himself is responsible for the furor with which he and his party now have to deal. Mr. Carroll simply acted as te canary in the coalmine, warning us all to get moving before it was too late.
[P.S. I belong to no political party, nor do I want to. In an era when partisanship has supplanted common sense and co-operation for the public good, I suspect remaining outside the power structure to push on it is the best way to effect change.]
Really great right up. Well done sir.
Why do we have a Ministry of Public Safety? The agencies brought together under this single banner have created an organization that is threatening our civil rights.
I think that not only has Vic Toews shown that he should be tendering his resignation, but that the entire Ministry should be disbanded and dispersed among the other Ministries.
Thankyou Vikileaks30, in the face of tyranny within the government we have before us and the damage that the PSM would want to bestow on Canadians you did what was neccesary - never regret it. They are forcing many of us to pay a price for what we believe in. The Minister is criminal in his actions against Canadians with self serving govt members backing him illegally & unethically. Many know this & many will carry the word far & wide until they are replaced with people who care about the country again. Many won’t agree but many will, don’t forget that. Regards & Respect to you, Vic is pissed & what they tried to suppress is out, Mission Accomplished! Well Done
“Society must take every means at its disposal to defend itself against the emergence of a parallel power which defies the elected power”
Thanks for writing this letter PPC, and thank you Adam for standing up and driving the point home.