Here is a summation of the article. The full article is in the Feb 18 edition of the Toronto Star, page A13.
Solicitor General Herb Grey announced Feb 17 1997 that legislation is being drafted to create a national DNA data bank. This would allow DNA samples to be stored to compare against current and future crimes. Police can take samples now to use in a specific investigation, but they must be destroyed after the investigatiion is over. Police forces are demanding the data bank. They say it is more crucial than the gun control law. Grey says the government is taking their time bvecause they want to make it airtight against court challenges.
The police in Canada already have the absolute right to take a sample from anyone in Canada at any time. "How is this possible?" you ask. Well, strictly speaking, it's not. They can only force you to give a DNA sample if you are a suspect. How does one become a suspect? Refuse to give a DNA sample.
So here's how it goes:
Actually, the jokes on you, because now, five burly police officers will now hold you down while a doctor takes the sample.
So now we come to the subject of the newspaper article.
The police compared your sample to samples taken from the crime
scene, and guess what, you were right, you did have nothing to do
with it. But hey, there's lots of crimes in this country,
maybe you did one of them, lets check them out. Come to
think of it, you might commit a crime sometime in the
future, lets save the sample for furture crimes.
How long will it take before they get a sample from
everyone in the country? How long before someone in
government gets the bright idea to just make giving
a DNA sample a condition of citizenship. Oh Hell,
I just gave them the idea.
Is it just me, or does no one else see what's wrong with this?
Every one has the right not to testify against themselves, to not give evidence. What good is that right if you already incriminated yourself years ago by being forced to give a DNA sample. Your DNA represents your fundamental essence, your biological individuality. For the state to be able to demand this from you is to say that you are nothing, you are owned, you ARE a slave.