The model proposed in the bill is intended to situate the commissioner in the Department of Public Safety but with the ability to act independently in their mandate. The reason that was put in the bill was to benefit from the infrastructure that exists within the Public Safety portfolio more broadly with CSIS and the RCMP to facilitate information sharing, because the commissioner will ultimately need to rely not just on complaints or their own investigative work, but on intelligence that might be shared with them to inform their investigations. By placing the commissioner within Public Safety, there is an increased ability to do that, both from authorities to share the information and from physical infrastructure to receive that information. Ultimately, however, the decisions the commissioner will make are their decisions and the reports are their reports.
On June 6th, 2024. See this statement in context.