Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 26th, 2006

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

It's in that process that something like this might be useful.

Of course, those who are citizens who would be facing similar kinds of things would be tried, would they not, under our criminal justice system, simply by virtue of the fact that the same kind of security interests are concerned and they're here, as distinct from those who haven't gained that status?

I guess what I'm saying is that you have two sorts of system in operation, one for those who are citizens and one for those who are not, and yet accommodation could be made by some slight adjustments, it would seem, if we're able to do this.

[Daniel Therrien]

It is absolutely possible. It is very legitimate to consider this question of the use of special advocates.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Thank you. We're well over seven minutes, so we'll have to pick it up on the next round, Ed.

Jim, please. These are five-minute rounds.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

I have five minutes, so I'm going to be very quick and I want your answers, please, to be the same.

Were any of you involved in the Suresh affair, in the decisions made, the direction to the minister? Yes or no?

[Daniel Therrien]

No.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Were any of you involved in the six cases that are right now in front of...of the individuals who have been held?

[Daniel Therrien]

In some capacity, yes.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Okay. I understand there's an individual held in Kingston who has a family of about five kids. The family lives in Scarborough. Am I correct in this?

Some of the kids are Canadian-born. Yes or no?

[Susan Kramer]

I can't confirm that.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

You can't confirm that. Can you come back to us, please?

Can you also come back to us to let us know how the family has access to him?

[Susan Kramer]

Special arrangements have been made, recognizing that placing the centre in Kingston would cause some challenges for family visits. The families all have access to video conferencing.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

i'm sorry, if I'm a five-year-old child, you're going to tell me I can speak to my father on a video conference? Is this what you're telling me?

[Susan Kramer]

That option is available.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mrs. Kramer, do you have any children of your own? How would you like to video conference with your children?

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

I don't think that's a relevant question to ask.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

It is relevant. It is relevant to my constituents.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

I would ask that the--

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

You have visited that centre. My constituent has children. My question to you is very specific: how can his children see the individual you are holding?

[Susan Kramer]

In comparison to the visiting conditions at the Toronto West Detention Centre, rather than having 20-minute visits twice a week, they now can have daily visits of up to 3.5 hours a day, and--

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

I'm sorry, are the children able to see him, yes or no?

[Susan Kramer]

In addition to that, there's--

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Please allow the witness to answer in the fullness of time on this.

[Susan Kramer]

There's no glass in between, so there's much closer contact with children. Furthermore, when it becomes a challenge to get there, we do offer the video conferencing service. It's accessible three and a half hours per day--

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Sorry, you've lost me. Are children able to visit, yes or no?

[Susan Kramer]

Yes, of course.