Yes, I do.
The Canadian Council for Refugees brought a further concern on clause 5 to this committee. In their submission, they said:
People applying for status in Canada are in a vulnerable position. All an officer needs is “reasonable grounds to believe” that the person is inadmissible on security grounds – in these circumstances, refusal to be interviewed and to answer all questions is likely to be enough to condemn the person. In some cases where the applicant is not represented by counsel, CSIS officers exploit the person’s situation.
The CCR goes on to recommend that clause 5 be amended to include a statement of the right to legal counsel when being interviewed by CSIS.
The intent of this NDP amendment is therefore to provide foreign nationals who are required to appear for a CSIS interview with the right to appear with counsel. We think the additional language is moderate and reasonable and we respectfully ask for the support of committee members for this amendment.