Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and colleagues.
I want to begin by thanking all the members of the committee for the study on the intersection of technology and policing, including the recent reports on facial recognition technology. I welcome the opportunity to talk about the adoption of new tools and technologies, especially as they concern transparency, privacy and legal and ethical standards.
Technology and policing have always been closely interconnected, but today's tech is advancing exponentially.
This progression extends from the evolution of mobile and wireless, to supercomputing, advanced analytics, biometrics, surveillance, forensics and beyond.
It's imperative that law enforcement bodies keep up with the pace of change. It's crucial that we do so to pursue those who would exploit new technologies for malicious intent.
This is necessary not only to increase efficiency, but also to closely examine how law enforcement selects and implements these technologies, to ensure the privacy, rights and freedoms of Canadians. In so doing, we must get that balance right.
For my part today, colleagues, I am pleased to provide a brief overview of the tools used by the RCMP.
The RCMP uses investigative technology and cutting-edge scientific tools in the areas of forensic science, fingerprinting, biometric and DNA data and surveillance, among other areas. Forensic science and identification services, for example, are integral parts of national police services, often relying on advanced science and technology.
Through these services, groundbreaking technology helps to identify biological evidence collected from crime scenes, examines firearms, seized materials and suspect counterfeit currency or I.D., and screens for a broad range of drugs and poisons and helps to provide expert scientific testimony in courts.
With respect to investigative technology specifically, the latest technology available to the RCMP helps to link crimes together, secures records and documents at crime scenes, identifies suspects and victims writ large and helps to keep Canadians and our communities safe.
The RCMP's CAIT program, or covert access and intercept team, uses approved technology to collect data that cannot be collected using traditional wiretapping technology or other less intrusive investigative techniques. This is only used under judicial authorization for the most serious offences.
Further, their Special “I” program is primarily responsible for the lawful electronic surveillance mandate of the RCMP. This has been the unit responsible for all interception of private communications that can be obtained pursuant to authority under part VI of the Criminal Code. It involves technical installations and deployments of electronic surveillance equipment in support of policing investigations. It also involves monitoring and analysis of data and communications that have been lawfully intercepted.
But colleagues, through all these examples, I'll be clear that transparency and accountability, privacy, and respecting fundamental rights and the law are paramount. The Privacy Commissioner has echoed that sentiment. And the government is committed to making sure that is foundational to all activities, including training and operational processes.
In particular, one of the key outcomes of the commissioner's investigation and report on the use of facial recognition was the need for a centralized process for the adoption of new tools and technologies.
In March of last year, the RCMP created the national technologies onboarding program, or NTOP.
The purpose of the national technologies onboarding program, or NTOP, is to centralize, standardize and bring greater transparency to the processes that govern how the RCMP identifies, evaluates, tracks and approves the use of new technologies and investigative tools. It will be the first point of contact for any unit interested in using any new operational technology. It will also ensure that a thorough evaluation of the technology is completed, making sure that the technology meets all privacy, legal and ethical standards.
The NTOP has begun accepting new technologies for assessment and will continue to increase capacity as it moves towards becoming fully operational.
I want to highlight that the RCMP is fully engaged with the Privacy Commissioner's office to ensure that privacy impacts are assessed for all new uses of facial recognition being considered.
Legal considerations are equally taken into account for the use of technology at all stages, including through the Criminal Code, which sets out provisions for judicial authorization and requires that we report annually to Parliament on the use of electronic surveillance.
Given the RCMP's mandate and the necessity to safeguard the ability to effectively use on-device investigative tools, we are not always able to discuss all of the technical or operational details of these tools. Where that is the case, it is for operational integrity and security only.
I understand that I'm out of time. I will be happy to take any questions from members of the committee.
