DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER DETAILS PROPOSED MODEL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS

The Government’s ongoing efforts to enhance Canada’s national security system include ensuring that appropriate review mechanisms are in place.

Following from the commitment set out in Ethics, Responsibility, Accountability: An Action Plan for Democratic Reform and reiterated in Securing an Open Society: Canada’s National Security Policy, the Government is moving forward to establish a National Security Committee of Parliamentarians. An Interim Committee of Parliamentarians on National Security was set up last year to make recommendations to the Deputy Prime Minister on the composition and mandate of such a committee.

The proposed National Security Committee of Parliamentarians is unprecedented in Canada and will strengthen the effectiveness of our security system through dialogue with Parliamentarians.

Building on International Examples

The Government’s proposal represents a made-in-Canada approach and builds upon the experience of similar review bodies in other parliamentary democracies, notably the United Kingdom (U.K.), Australia , and New Zealand. The experience in the U.K., for instance, where a similar committee has existed for ten years, shows that the committee in that country serves as a trusted and effective accountability mechanism and is an asset for the effective management of the national security system. The Government’s proposed model for Canada integrates many of the features of that committee.

Integrating with Existing Review Bodies

The mandate of the proposed National Security Committee of Parliamentarians would not duplicate the role of other independent review bodies. These bodies would continue to perform their roles of ensuring that Canadian laws and the rights of Canadians are respected. Those review bodies include:

• The Security Intelligence Review Committee, which is an independent, external review body which reports to Parliament on the operations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service;
• The Communications Security Establishment Commissioner, also independent, and mandated to receive complaints and review the activities of the Communications Security Establishment;
• The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP which is an independent agency created by Parliament to ensure that complaints about the conduct of members of the RCMP are examined fairly and impartially.

Mandate and Structure

The mandate of the proposed National Security Committee of Parliamentarians would be to review the security and intelligence apparatus in Canada, and the ability of departments and agencies engaged in security and intelligence activities to fulfill their responsibilities. Further, the Committee could review specific security or intelligence matters referred to it by the Government.

The Committee’s work would help to ensure that policies, resources and legislation are in place for the fulfilment of national security goals and objectives and to identify required ongoing improvements to the effectiveness of Canada’s national security system.

The Committee would submit reports to the Prime Minister who, in turn, would table these in Parliament. Membership of the Committee would involve up to nine Parliamentarians, with representation from the House of Commons and the Senate, and from both the Government and the Opposition. Appointments would be made by the Prime Minister, after consultation with the leader of the individual’s Party. It is hoped that Committee members would serve on a long term basis, developing further expertise in the area of national security and building the non-partisan constructive atmosphere that will enhance the Committee’s contribution.

The Committee would be supported by security cleared staff from within the Government’s security and intelligence community, and would hold meetings in secure facilities. It would be provided with information, including classified information, required to carry out its mandate, to ensure the Prime Minister and Parliament benefit from the advice and views of Parliamentarians on delicate security related matters. Appropriate safeguards would be put in place to protect information, ensure the safety of persons and operations, and protect Canada’s relationships with its allies. Measures include: 

• Information which could endanger the safety of any person or jeopardize an operation would be withheld;
• Information from third parties (example, international allies) would be provided to the Committee only with the consent of those third parties;
• Committee members would be required to take an oath of loyalty to Canada, which would include an oath to keep secret any information provided to them in confidence.

The proposed National Security Committee of Parliamentarians would be established through new legislation, the development of which is already underway. Proposed legislation is expected to be introduced in the near future in collaboration with Parties in the House of Commons and Senate.

The Government is also committed to engaging with Canadians in a long-term dialogue on matters related to national security through two additional new bodies. The Government has recently established the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security and will be announcing shortly the membership of the Advisory Council on National Security.