Evidence of meeting #138 for Public Safety and National Security in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was russia.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
I'm not sure that Superintendent Doran can actually comment on that. It may be a perfectly valid point, but Superintendent Doran is here to tell us how the current system works. Any speculation beyond that is just that, speculation.
You still have a minute.
Liberal
Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON
Let me put it a different way. We've clearly had situations here in Canada where red notices were used, in the case of Bill Browder, that undermined the very methods that INTERPOL uses to address the issues of international criminality, and it caused us a problem because it was being abused.
C/Supt Scott Doran
I won't speak to Mr. Browder's case specifically. I'm not familiar enough with it to be able to do that. However, I appreciate your concern about Russia being on the executive committee or being perhaps a member of INTERPOL at all.
I will simply add that Russia is but one of nine delegate people, three vice-presidents and one president who are meant to govern the INTERPOL operations. Therefore, there's representation from the globe. The geopolitical realities are all present. Certainly we're fortunate that we have a strong Canadian representative who can espouse good Canadian values within the INTERPOL system.
While I do appreciate your concern, I feel certainly from an INTERPOL perspective there is an adequate balance of representation to offset the concern.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj.
Mr. Eglinski, please, you have five minutes.
Jim Eglinski Yellowhead, CPC
I would like to thank both witnesses for coming out this morning.
You were talking about the oversight. I would like to go into it a little more.
Can INTERPOL put pressure on Canada or the RCMP if you decide you are not going to react to the other thing? You mentioned you had an oversight group within the RCMP organization, made up not only of RCMP but other police forces. Do you have enough strength just to say, “No, we're not doing that. No, we're not going to send you that information. No, we don't think it's relevant. No, we don't think it falls within the human rights”?
C/Supt Scott Doran
Absolutely. We would base our information on our own set of rules, appreciating that we're a member of INTERPOL and the goal of INTERPOL is to expand the sharing and do as much as we can internationally.
Where we would have concerns about sharing, we can unilaterally decide we are not going to.
Yellowhead, CPC
There is no external pressure that can make you change your minds.
Yellowhead, CPC
Okay.
In regard to the executive committee you mentioned, made up of nine people from different countries of the 194 member countries, do all of your executive have past police experience or come from police departments within those countries?
C/Supt Scott Doran
Yes. There are nine delegates, three vice-presidents and a president, and all hail from law enforcement of one type or another.
Yellowhead, CPC
They are probably a senior-ranked official from that country.
Yellowhead, CPC
Okay.
How long do our representatives from Canada usually stay, or how long are they employed in the organization? Right now, you're chief superintendent. You could go to deputy commissioner.
Are the people we send relatively experienced in the role of INTERPOL policing, in our international policing?
C/Supt Scott Doran
Yes. The former Canadian representative on the executive committee was Deputy Commissioner Todd Shean, who has just recently retired. He spent a number of years in federal policing, so he understands and was responsible for INTERPOL while he was at headquarters before taking his deputy commissioner promotion.
Deputy Commissioner Gilles Michaud has been in federal policing all of his service, so he's very well aware of INTERPOL.
Yellowhead, CPC
I have one really quick question. In an average year, how many red notices would Canada get?
C/Supt Scott Doran
On average, INTERPOL will open around 4,000 files a year. That's both requests into Canada and requests from Canada going out. There are around 4,000, not all red notices, just requests for information.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
You have a minute left.
Mind you, Mr. Motz has used up more than your minute.