Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My other portfolio I have responsibility for in the official opposition is that of human rights critic. Just this last week, we had a report released by the United Nations committee on torture. Within that report, they were highly critical of the situation of CSIS involved with the Omar Khadr case in Guantanamo.
Now, those of us who are old enough remember what was termed by the media—I want to stress this, that it was by the media—as the RCMP “dirty tricks squad” years ago, which was disbanded. And then you go back to Mr. Kennedy's assertion.
The RCMP and the police officers of our country for the most part are highly credible, responsible individuals, but there are people who make mistakes. When CSIS was formed, the inspector general was put into place for exactly the purpose of protecting Canadians and Canadians' rights. CSIS, in the case of Omar Khadr's interrogation when he was 16 years old in Guantanamo, created a highly questionable response. Of course, as I said, the United Nations has responded more recently to that.
Having oversight is crucial to protecting the rights of Canadians. Yes, there are situations where some of the information should not be made public. That's a reality of the work that CSIS does. On the other hand, that's all the more reason to have that person who is giving the kind of support to the minister that is necessary to guarantee the rights of every Canadian.
So I'm speaking strongly against this change on the basis of the potential for further problems in regard to the rights of Canadian citizens.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.