Report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security Protecting Canadians and their Rights: A New Road Map for Canada’s National Security Robert Oliphant Chair May 2017 42nd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons SPEAKER’S PERMISSION Reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees, in whole or in part and in any medium, is hereby permitted provided that the reproduction is accurate and is not presented as official. This permission does not extend to reproduction, distribution or use for commercial purpose of financial gain. Reproduction or use outside this permission or without authorization may be treated as copyright infringement in accordance with the Copyright Act. Authorization may be obtained on written application to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons. 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Also available on the Parliament of Canada Web Site at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca PROTECTING CANADIANS AND THEIR RIGHTS: A NEW ROAD MAP FOR CANADA’S NATIONAL SECURITY Report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security Robert Oliphant Chair MAY 2017 42nd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND NATIONAL SECURITY CHAIR Robert Oliphant VICE-CHAIRS Larry Miller Matthew Dubé MEMBERS René Arseneault Michel Picard Hon. Tony Clement Sven Spengemann Pam Damoff Dianne L. Watts Nicola Di Iorio OTHER MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT WHO PARTICIPATED John Brassard Bernadette Jordan Julie Dabrusin Iqra Khalid Earl Dreeshen Karen Ludwig Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Marco Mendicino Colin Fraser John Oliver Cheryl Gallant Hon. Erin O'Toole Bernard Généreux Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor Mark Holland Karen Vecchio CLERK OF THE COMMITTEE Jean-Marie David LIBRARY OF PARLIAMENT Parliamentary Information and Research Service Tanya Dupuis, Analyst Dominique Valiquet, Analyst iii THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND NATIONAL SECURITY has the honour to present its NINTH REPORT Pursuant to its mandate under Standing Order 108(2), the Committee has studied Canada's National Security Framework and has agreed to report the following: v TABLE OF CONTENTS PART 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 A. Review Process ..................................................................................................... 2 B. Terms of Reference ............................................................................................... 2 PART 2: CONTEXT ......................................................................................................... 5 PART 3: NATIONAL SECURITY REVIEW, OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY .... 11 A. Oversight versus Review ..................................................................................... 11 B. Parliamentary Review .......................................................................................... 12 C. Expert Review Models ......................................................................................... 13 1. Review of the National Security Activities of the Canada Border Services Agency .......................................................................................................... 16 2. Independent Reviewer and Coordinator ......................................................... 17 PART 4: NATIONAL SECURITY ACTIVITIES .............................................................. 19 A. Disruption Powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service ....................... 19 1. Restrictions on Disruption Activities ................................................................ 20 2. Disruption Warrants ........................................................................................ 21 B. Law Enforcement Powers .................................................................................... 23 1. Peace Bonds and Preventive Arrests ............................................................. 23 2. Advocating or Promoting the Commission of Terrorism Offences .................. 24 3. Seizure of Terrorist Propaganda ..................................................................... 25 C. Information Sharing ............................................................................................. 26 1. Definition of “Activities that Undermine the Security of Canada” .................... 26 2. Information Sharing Threshold ....................................................................... 27 3. Oversight of Information Sharing Activities ..................................................... 29 D. Intelligence and Classified Information Used as Evidence .................................. 30 1. The Two-Court System ................................................................................... 30 2. Security Certificates ........................................................................................ 31 E. Passenger Protect Program ................................................................................ 31 1. Framework ...................................................................................................... 31 2. Fairness, Openness and Transparency .......................................................... 33 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................ 37 vii APPENDIX A: LIST OF WITNESSES ........................................................................... 45 APPENDIX B: LIST OF BRIEFS ................................................................................... 51 APPENDIX C: LIST OF WITNESSES, BILL C-22 ......................................................... 53 APPENDIX D: LIST OF BRIEFS, BILL C-22 ................................................................. 57 REQUEST FOR GOVERNMENT RESPONSE ............................................................. 59 DISSENTING OPINION FROM THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF CANADA ............. 61 SUPPLEMENTARY OPINION OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY ......................... 65 viii PART 1: INTRODUCTION Promising public safety as an exchange for sacrificing individual liberties and democratic safeguards is not, in our view, justifiable or realistic. Both are essential and complementary in a free and democratic society. (The Canadian Bar Association, brief, March 2015) National security is one of the most fundamental duties – if not the most fundamental duty – conferred upon a government. Equally important is the need to maintain public confidence in a fair and just legal system. National security agencies should be lawful, efficient and accountable. Canada’s national security framework as a whole should provide adequate safeguards against abuse and respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and relevant international standards. On 14 June 2016, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (the Committee) agreed to undertake a study of Canada’s national security framework; that the study should consist of at least five meetings held across the country; and that the Committee report its findings to the House of Commons (the House).1 The Committee concluded its study on 15 February 2017. This committee report is shaped by the testimony of Canadians, expert witnesses and the recommendations of the various commissions of inquiry, many of which remain valid today. It is by no means meant to be an exhaustive review of this highly complex and challenging issue. It should be noted from the outset that this committee is not a government entity, as it is a permanent committee established by the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. It is a creature of the House comprised of a “small group of Members [of Parliament] created and empowered by the House to perform one or more specific tasks.”2 It is empowered to study and report on all matters relating to its mandate including the statutes, programs and policies relating to the departments and agencies falling within its portfolio. As such, the Committee is not bound by the subject matter contained in the parallel public consultation on national security launched in September 2016 by Public Safety Canada, in collaboration with the Department of Justice.3 1 House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU), Minutes of Proceedings, 1st Session, 42nd Parliament, 14 June 2016. 2 House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Second Edition, 2009, Edited by Audrey O’Brien and Marc Bosc at pp. 1048 and 949. 3 The Green Paper, Our Security, Our Rights: National Security Green Paper, 2016, was released