Social media is abuzz with images of Liberal supporters symbolically cutting up their party membership cards after their leader Justin Trudeau voted in favour of Bill C-51 at the anti-terrorism legislation’s third reading in the House of Commons.

Disillusioned supporters also plastered Trudeau’s Facebook page with angry comments about the party’s support for the controversial bill which has been denounced as dangerous and draconian by legal experts, academics, former Prime Ministers, First Nations groups, civil society organizations and all opposition parties other than the Liberals.

“Supporting Bill C-51 is the stupidest thing the Liberal party has ever done,” Doug MacNaughton wrote. “You could have changed your mind today, saying that the Conservative amendments didn’t go far enough. Instead, we’re left depending on the Supreme Court to declare that the bill is unconstitutional. Your father brought in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – you just voted to tear it up.”

“Sorry Justin Trudeau, I supported you from less that 100 likes on your page,” David Joseph wrote. “From the first speech you gave as the leader of the Liberal party. But now you’ve lost my confidence as a leader and much of the rest of the countries confidence!”

Trudeau’s loss is turning out to be Thomas Mulcair’s gain with diehard Liberal supporters vowing to vote for the NDP at October’s election.

“Well, it’s decided! I cannot support a leader who supports C-51,” Wayne Menard wrote. “Have you read the thing? I am casting my lot with the NDP after 30 years of being a card carrying Liberal. Sad, so very sad!”

“Sadly Justin, today you lost my vote and was a big supporter”   Cameron Brown wrote. “It looks like my only choice is now to vote for Mr. Mulclair and hope he can pull it off. Who is advising you anyway? Has all the heart, soul & minds bailed the Liberal Party?”

“As a First Nation member I supported you but after the Bill C-51,” Sid Chambaud wrote. “I’m supporting the NDP just as I did in the Alberta elections!”

The Liberal Party supported Bill C-51, which passed third reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 183 to 96, claiming that certain measures in the legislation were needed to combat terrorism and keep Canadians safe.

“Legislation similar to Bill C-51 is required and is in evidence in virtually every country with which Canada is allied or has shared values,” Wayne Easter, Liberal MP for Malpeque, PE, said during the debate. “Countering the growing threat of foreign and domestic terrorism is a reality that must be confronted by the modern state.”

“Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend from Malpeque knows that I am heartbroken that his party has chosen to do the wrong thing on Bill C-51,” Elizabeth May, Green Party leader and MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC, said in response to Easter’s comments. “It will not be fixable later. It will need to be repealed, and that is the position that all opposition parties should take.”

“We just heard the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness say that this is the only legislation in the world that would ensure that a judge oversees decisions about allowing CSIS agents, or intelligence agents in other countries, to take the steps that are proposed in the legislation,” she added. “I would ask the member if he would agree with me, as someone who was listening to the evidence and looking at the bill, if this is because no other country in the world, no other democracy would imagine such a thing as a secret hearing, with only the government represented, to allow for a warrant for an intelligence officer to violate the constitution.”

“No such constitutional breach warrant has ever been contemplated by any other democracy,” May pointed out. “A constitutional breach warrant is so deeply offensive that that is why only Canada has a judge overseeing it. No other country would allow it.”