Evidence of meeting #8 for Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was nds.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:25 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
No.
5:25 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
A director.
5:25 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Richard Fadden.
5:25 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Yes, Mr. Chair.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you very much.
We do have a couple more minutes.
Mr. MacKenzie.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
This committee has dealt with issues of human rights. It seems to me that the whole issue has always been about human rights. Afghanistan is a country that some have described as medieval, and in a lot of other ways.
I can appreciate the levels of training you're talking about here, because that's very important, but it's a very difficult situation in Afghanistan. It has to be, when the Afghan people do not feel that human rights have ever been an issue with the Taliban. When they kill policemen, their military, and civilians and children, it has to be a difficult situation to try to have the officials in Afghanistan move to the level of the western world in respecting human rights.
I'm wondering if Canadians should expect that to occur overnight. You answered to one of my colleagues about the training you do. Training them at the level we're trying to train them from the top down, is that not a huge step for Canada to take and for the civilian body in Afghanistan?
5:25 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Yes, Mr. Chair, it is indeed a huge step for Canada to try to help democratic institutions gain ground in Afghanistan. The service is doing its part as far as the intelligence service, the NDS, is concerned.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you, Mr. MacKenzie.
I have one quick question. If CSIS were brought before SIRC on a complaint and SIRC found that CSIS had acted improperly in any way, without listing the details of the rebuke, would they say anything in their annual report?
5:30 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
No.
May 5th, 2010 / 5:30 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Neither the nature of the complaint or the complainant would be disclosed. I don't want to put Mr. Rae on the spot if he wants to correct me...but no.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
All right.
Thank you very much for attending here today. We appreciate the work that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service does in keeping Canadians safe at home and abroad, and for your role in Afghanistan, here in Canada, and around the world. We thank you for your professionalism here today as well.
We are adjourned.
