Public Safety Committee on Dec. 5th, 2017

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

We have maybe a minute, and three questions.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

I have three questions and need yes-or-no answers.

First, we have on record that Mr. Forcese wants special advocates. Mr. Wark, do you think we should have special advocates in the no-fly list system, just yes or no?

[Prof. Wesley Wark]

Yes.

I feel like I'm on Jeopardy.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Perfect. Both of you testified before the ethics committee and before this committee on SCISA, now SCIDA. You suggested fixes that are not in this legislation. Do you suggest that we tweak this further or do you think we should...? Clarifications in the definition have occurred, there's now “contribute” versus “relevance”.

Do you think there's a “wait and see” mode to allow the review bodies to do their work and report to Canadians as to the acceptability of the sharing, and then make further changes down the road or do you want this committee to make further changes now?

[Prof. Craig Forcese]

Further changes.

[Prof. Wesley Wark]

Further changes.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

This is my last question. We promised Canadians to improve the accountability of national security agencies. We promised to fix the overreaching and in some cases unconstitutional nature of Bill C-51, and then Bill C-51 overall with Bill C-22 and Bill C-59.

Do you think we've done that?

[Prof. Craig Forcese]

Yes, subject to my concern about personal information that might be swept into the ministerial authorization or not swept into the ministerial authorization.

[Prof. Wesley Wark]

My answer is yes, and there's more work to be done. It never stops at one particular piece of legislation.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Thanks very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Mr. Erskine-Smith, for your very brief intervention.

I want to thank both of you on behalf of the committee for not only your presence here today but your thinking and your contributions to the shaping of this legislation. It is indeed a really good example of the government and non-government community working together to shape what I think pretty well everyone is agreeing is a better piece of legislation.

Thank you and with that we'll adjourn.

The meeting is adjourned.