Val Meredith on Canadian Security Intelligence Service

In the House of Commons on March 27th, 1996. See this statement in context.

Canadian Security Intelligence ServiceOral Question Period

March 27th, 1996 / 2:30 p.m.

Reform

Val Meredith Reform Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister stated that although a CSIS employee had committed numerous breaches of the service's security policy he was confident in how CSIS had handled the issue.

Yet in 1988 when Kwan Lihuen, a CSIS translator in Vancouver, was found to have had unreported contact with targets of the service he was immediately suspended and then fired when his security clearance was pulled. Even when SIRC and the federal court ruled that Kwan's clearance should be reinstated, CSIS refused to rehire him.

Can the minister explain why CSIS was so rigid in that case and so lax in this one?

See context to find out what was said next.