Alleged killing video of Magnotta shows need for new Internet surveillance laws: Vic Toews

The Conservative government's controversial Internet surveillance legislation, Bill C-30, is back in the news.

Public safety minister Vic Toews says the online video of the gruesome killing of Lin Jun -- allegedly at the hands of Luka Rocco Magnotta -- shows the need for the modernizing of Canadian criminal code in order to make obscenity charges stick.

Specifically, Toews says C-30 would make prosecuting purveyors, of such content, easier.

"It's a difficult prosecution given the state of the law today. Of course, the police have been talking to me over the last six years about modernizing the law with respect to access," he told CTV News' Question Period on Sunday.

[Related: Best Gore owner defends hosting Magnotta video]

"We put forward legislation that attempted to balance the public interest with privacy interests and that bill is in fact going to the committee prior to second reading."

Bill C-30, introduced by the Harper government in February, would create additional requirements for Internet service providers (ISPs) and expanded police powers. ISPs would be required to install surveillance equipment on their networks and keep records of what their customers are doing online and police would be allowed to obtain some of this information without any judicial oversight.

The legislation resulted in wide spread backlash from the public. Toews even became the target of a massive online campaign which included postings of his nasty divorce proceedings.

Since the uproar, many had written off Bill C-30, but Toews's comments Sunday, indicate the Bill is still high up on the Tories' priority list.

Meanwhile, critics of the legislation have kept up their attacks.

OpenMedia.ca recently released a list of 'pro privacy' MPs who oppose the bill. They also produced an anti-C30 YouTube video.

The government is expected to send Bill C-30 to committee in the Fall, prior to second reading.

(Reuters photo)