Evidence of meeting #24 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was certificates.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Before I recognize you, Mr. Karygiannis, I want to allow a final comment to Ms. El-Fouli, who had her hand up in the last round.
Please go ahead.
11:10 a.m.
Wife of Mohamed Mahjoub, Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada
Thank you.
I just want to draw everybody's attention to something that was already mentioned but that I just want to make sure is clear: we don't want security certificate terms to stand as barriers to human rights. Human rights are what elevates Canada from the rest of the world. Canada is unique with its human rights, and we don't want to lose that. It's very important to Canada and Canadians that we continue with human rights.
Mr. Karygiannis mentioned what happened to Mr. Arar and what happened to the Japanese, Italians, Ukrainians, and others before. We should take that into consideration as well, and try to review the information we have. As I and others have mentioned, which sources did it come from? Is it correct information or is it wrong information?
To take people and put them in indefinite detention is a complete violation of human rights. It violates their rights, their families' rights, and even Canada's rights.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Chair, I have a point of order and a question of the chair.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Yes; just one moment while I deal with the witnesses.
Thank you very much for coming. It was very interesting, what you had to tell us. Our committee members don't very often want to go overtime, so obviously what you had to say today was very effective, and I want to thank you for that.
I don't want you to be given the impression that your concerns are falling on deaf ears here. At some point we will be making recommendations or what have you to the minister, and your concerns will certainly be taken into consideration.
Again, thank you very much.
Now, Mr. Karygiannis, a point of order.
And to the witnesses, you can leave any time you wish. You don't need to hang around for our points of order.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
There is a list of organizations--for instance, the LTTE, which was just listed a couple of weeks ago--that are seen to be a threat to Canada. Any Canadian who comes in contact with those organizations is automatically also a threat to Canada...or can have serious circumstances.
For all of us who have come in contact with the so-called threats to Canada when we don't know what risks we're posing to ourselves, I would ask the committee, I would ask the clerk, and I would ask you to get information on what terrorist organizations these people belong to and what kind of threat we ourselves are because we came in contact with them.
The fact that we went there as a committee certainly later on can have difficulties for us. Should these people be in a particular group on that list, and we have come in contact with them, certainly that would put us in a precarious situation.
So I ask the chair, for the security of all the committee members, to get facts and figures on what organizations these people belong to and to come back and report to this committee on the seriousness if any laws have been broken by us.
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
What organizations are the detainees supposed to belong to? What lists are they on? There's a list in CBSA. There's a list that shows that we Canadians cannot come in contact with these organizations.
If we have come in contact with a member of those organizations and we have broken the laws of Canada, we need to know.
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Before I ask the researchers to comment on that, I would hear Mr. Siksay's—
11:15 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
It's a different point. Could I have one second before the committee adjourns?
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Okay.
Do the researchers have any comment to make on that? I certainly don't know what course of action we could take, except to ask the researchers to do some work and report back to us—or if it's a valid point of order that we should consider.
11:15 a.m.
Margaret Young Committee Researcher
There are various lists in Canada that organizations can be placed on. There's one under the Criminal Code, with about 40 organizations listed. There is a list under the United Nations suppression of terrorism regulations, and there is a United Nations Taliban and al-Qaeda list as well.
In terms of what penalties there are for associating with those organizations, if you contribute to helping them further their purposes or cause, there could be penalties. But in terms of listening to or hearing from those organizations, there are no associated penalties.
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
I beg to differ.
After the tsunami, I came in contact with the hierarchy of LTTE. I went to visit them in Sri Lanka. If I were to even to visit them again today, I could be a criminal.
I certainly beg to differ. So I want a clear answer. I want answers to what organization they belong to, what list they're on, and what ramifications it could have on committee members who visited them.
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
I think we will allow the research people to do just that and report back to the committee at a later date.
11:15 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Mr. Neve mentioned a number of international agreements that pertained to detention, and he offered to get copies. But I'm wondering if the analysts could do that for us instead—let us know what those agreements are, and make them available to the committee.