The state's surveillance and investigative agencies will always tell you their toolbox isn't full enough. That's normal. It's as old as the hills.
In my opinion, the proof has not been made, and it's up to those agencies to provide such proof. We must always ask—and this brings me back to the same question—whether an investigation would have been impossible without the anti-terrorism measures in Bill C-51, and in which respects these measures are helpful.
This is just one example among many. We must never forget that the context of Bill C-51 is terrorism and national security. National security is based on secrecy being maintained within surveillance agencies and the police. Consequently, the debates take place behind closed doors, because not only national security, but also, international relations, are involved. The information is from the outside. We're not arguing that it's improper for Canada to get information from other countries. We can't criticize that, since it's a normal procedure, and is bound to increase.
As we saw in the Maher Arar inquiry, the problem is that this information is often obtained through torture, or is erroneous. In fact, the two are often combined. Since the information is obtained through torture, it is often incorrect. This is why we often end up with investigations built on rotten foundations. It goes without saying that the results of those investigations are invalid. In short, the way investigations are conducted needs a thorough overhaul.