Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
I have been looking forward to this opportunity to meet with the Committee in order to respond to the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar and to respond to your questions.
I believe that the importance of the review that has been carried out cannot be overstated. It is just such open, challenging, and intensive analysis that assures Canadians that mistakes will never be swept under a carpet in this country, nor will institutions or individuals in power be absolved from accountability in any instance where questions arise.
The famous scholar Arnold Toynbee wrote that the evolution of an individual, organization, or society is determined by the ability to respond successfully to challenges, both human and environmental.
As have all Canadians, I have observed the dignity of Mr. Arar's and Ms. Mazigh's response to the nightmare they found themselves thrust into three years ago.
Mr. Arar, I wish to take this opportunity to express publicly to you, to your wife, and to your children how truly sorry I am for whatever part the actions of the RCMP may have contributed to the terrible injustices that you experienced and the pain that you and your family endured.
I know that an apology can never give back to Mr. Arar what was taken from him, but what we can do is move forward with changes and reform. That means in very concrete terms identifying and acknowledging errors that were made, implementing whatever change is required to address them, and by recommitting ourselves to the very heart of our purpose: to do our best to serve and protect all Canadians and our country.
My objective today is not so much to go into the details of this case, as that has exhaustively been addressed by Justice O'Connor.
Rather, it is to share with the Committee and through you, to the public, my personal reaction to Justice O'Connor's report, as well as the actions that the RCMP already has taken and will take going forward.
My ultimate goal is to assure Canadians that I and indeed all who work in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will do whatever we can to see that no other Canadian citizen will ever suffer what happened to the Arar family.
At this time I'd like to commence specifically with three elements of the report. First, on the Project A-O Canada team, the investigative unit of the RCMP created in the aftermath of 9/11, Justice O'Connor confirmed that Project A-O Canada was comprised of a first-rate team of investigators that had extensive experience in large and complicated investigations. It lacked, however, experience and training with respect to the unique aspect of national security investigations, including the area of information sharing with the Americans. The investigative team wasn't provided with appropriate guidance and direction from within the RCMP.
Second, on the actions undertaken by the RCMP, appropriate investigative steps were taken by Project A-O Canada, the investigative unit of the RCMP created in the aftermath of 9/11. However, information was provided to U.S. agencies without first screening for relevance or reliability or for personal information. Furthermore, written caveats were not attached to information provided. Although a specific effort was made to correct the mistaken label while Mr. Arar was still in custody in New York, Justice O'Connor found it to be inadequate. Justice O'Connor determined that while the border lookout request was a reasonable investigative step, it mischaracterized Mr. Arar and his wife and labelled them unfairly.
Having addressed that, Justice O'Connor underscored that there was no bad faith shown by the RCMP investigators. In no way did they intend or know that their actions would contribute to the removal of a Canadian citizen to Syria. He also found that RCMP officials did not know, participate in, or acquiesce to the U.S. decision to detain and remove Mr. Arar to Syria. With regard to the actions of the RCMP, Justice O'Connor found that a high-level briefing to senior government officials was incomplete and lacked balance.
These are mistakes that were indeed made. They would not happen today.
Third, on the context within which these events occurred, I think it is vitally important that the events in question be put into context, a context of a unique time in the world and for all of the areas of government responsible for responding to terrorism.
As Justice O'Connor stated in his report:
Following the events of September 11, 2001, those involved in protecting Canada's national security were confronted with unprecedented challenges.
An all-out effort was being made by western intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including Canada's, to track down individuals involved in the 9/11 conspiracy. Moreover, there was a significant fear, not without foundation, of a second wage of attacks.
It is true that the early days after 9/11 were confusing and challenging. Of course, this doesn't excuse us or allow us to avoid facing head-on the ramifications of that time, but the fact is we were in a very different world on September 12, a world that was new to us, to all of us, especially to those of us charged with the safety and security of our country.
We've learned valuable lessons in security since then, and some of them, particularly in this case, we learned painfully.
I accept the recommendations in the report without exception. Many changes are already underway in the RCMP that align with the recommendations that have been made.
These include the following.
We have strengthened our management through implementation of a new secure record system, allowing for real-time supervision of ongoing investigative information.
We have made changes to policy and procedures to provide concise direction on information handling and sharing. This includes the creation of a sensitive document-handling unit at RCMP headquarters that will ensure criminal intelligence is properly vetted and controlled.
Our national security training program has been modernized to address mandates, policy, and instruction on sensitivities to cultural norms.
We have expanded our outreach programs and created a prototype National Security Community Advisory Committee in Ottawa that will serve as a model nationwide.
We have been continuously reviewing our written agreements, our compliance with policy and ministerial directives, central coordination, and information sharing.
We have initiated a number of ongoing quality control programs and have developed a template for a memorandum of understanding in the national security context.
In addition to these, we will be moving swiftly to implement all changes that will achieve the overall goal I have already stated.
Ladies and Gentlemen I know that you will have many questions in the time that we have today, and I look forward to responding. But before we move to that, I would like to make two additional comments.
First, I would like you to know that this terrible event has had a profound impact on the RCMP. Ever since Mr. Arar was sent to Syria, many thoughtful people have been struggling with the question of what is the appropriate role of a modern-day police force.
It is a terrible truth that we have had to acknowledge that in the pursuit of justice against those who would destroy our way of life, innocent people can be swept up in our search to find those who might harm us. It happened in this instance. Nothing is more important than preventing such a mistake from happening again. Neither is anything more important than protecting Canadians and our very existence in the face of those who are committed to doing us harm in the horrific ways that we have seen.
I am not sure what the answer is to these bigger questions we are grappling with. Certainly the work of Justice O'Connor helps us all gain a better understanding of how to achieve both of these goals.
Second, I'd like to share with you the one shining certainty that illuminates, for me, the way forward in this dark time, for myself and for the Force.
And it is this. As we in the RCMP undertake the complex and sometimes overwhelming task of keeping our country safe and our communities vital, nothing undermines our shared and deep determination to serve and protect. There isn't a Mountie in this country who did not enter their chosen career with the sole intention to do their best; to make their unique contribution to law enforcement and the well-being of communities and of others; who doesn't know that on the day they graduate from the academy in Regina that their career will involve sacrifice, difficulty, danger, and yes, even the fear of making mistakes.
Thirty six years ago I made that same commitment--that I would serve my country to the best of my ability, uphold and live by the law and do all that I could to live the values that define what is best in all of us.
Today, I reaffirm this commitment and assure you that, personally and as a leader of this great Canadian institution, I will strive to meet the challenges before us in that same spirit.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour of working with and alongside the most dedicated and duty-bound men and women you could ever imagine. Our dream is of a safe, just, and peaceful Canada. I know that every Canadian shares in the same, and that together we will continue to strive to maintain all that we have achieved in this remarkable country towards that goal.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
