I call the meeting to order.
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the 47th meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. This is Monday, December 13, 2010.
In our first hour we will have six witnesses before us. Actually, they are going to be here for an hour and three-quarters, if I'm not mistaken. We will hold the last 15 minutes for committee business, as we decided last week.
We will begin our study of Bill C-17, an act to amend the Criminal Code (investigative hearing and recognizance with conditions). The Minister of Justice and his officials will be here on Wednesday. In the lead-up to that, today we will hear from a panel of witnesses who will bring some concerns to our attention. We can ask the minister about those concerns when he appears.
Today we have with us, from the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, Denis Barrette. Welcome.
From the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, we have Ihsaan Gardee, executive director, and Khalid Elgazzar, member of the board of directors. Welcome.
From the University of Ottawa, we have Craig Forcese, associate professor, faculty of law. Welcome.
From the Law Union of Ontario, we have Paul Copeland, lawyer, and from the Canadian Islamic Congress, we have James Kafieh, counsel.
Each of the organizations appearing before us today has prepared an opening statement. Before we go to questions from our committee, I would welcome those opening statements. Perhaps we'll begin with Monsieur Barrette.
Monsieur Barrette, welcome.