Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like to come back to racial profiling. My colleagues do not seem to see the connection between this bill and the possibility and ability to engage in profiling, although they seem to admit that the bill has never been used. They seem to think it will be useful, but I question that.
Mr. Barrette, you talked about racial profiling. I also have questions in that regard for Mr. Kafieh, Mr. Elgazzar—forgive me if I mispronounced you name—and Mr. Gardee.
With respect to racial profiling, the Muslim communities, or simply Pakistani communities, people who are stereotyped or identified by their religion or even the colour of their skin… Nowadays, everyone is an Arab. Whether they're Pakistani, Lebanese or whatever they may be, they are considered to be Arab and Muslim. The average person doesn't know that there are Christian Arabs, Jewish Arabs—all kinds of Arabs. In any case, we're not going to give a lecture on Arabness today.
Tell me a little more about racial profiling. What will this kind of legislation which, legally…? There was an attempt to use it once. The Criminal Code could be used without any issue to ensure our security in relation to terrorist attacks, and yet the real impact in terms of people's perceptions and prejudice is fairly obvious.
According to what I've heard in other committees and what has been reported to me, CSIS has a tendency to pay visits to young students to question them without having any evidence, saying that they are not required to answer their questions. However, these individuals don't know what their rights are.
I have received a great many reports from young Muslims or Pakistanis who have been questioned by CSIS without any warrant or any charge against them, just questioned. The agents who visited them pointed out that they read the Koran or this or that book. A lot of these cases reflect practices that suggest racial profiling.
What do you think of the special work being carried out by CSIS in that regard and about racial profiling in general?
Have you received reports from young people who came to see you saying that CSIS paid them a visit?
One man even provided a phone number that CSIS had given him. I called the number and a person answered who refused to identify himself—imagine doing that a federal member of Parliament—and who in fact confirmed that he was a CSIS agent.
Could you please comment on that?