House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2019, with 50% of the vote.
Public Safety October 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the member has in front of him a very rational bill, Bill C-44, which would help to protect Canadians. I invite the member and all parties to support this very reasonable bill. I can also assure the member that we are moving forward.
Let me be clear. On this side of the House, a terrorist act is a terrorist act, as Secretary of State John Kerry said, as the RCMP said, and as the Criminal Code of Canada says.
Public Safety October 29th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, by clarifying the role of CSIS, Bill C-44 will facilitate oversight activities.
That is why I invite the opposition to support a balanced bill that will strengthen the security of Canadians while keeping a balance between civil rights and the protection of Canadians, which is the primary responsibility of a state.
Public Safety October 29th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, we are already listening to those recommendations. That is exactly the balance that this bill strikes. We have a balanced bill that clarifies the mandate, role, and responsibilities of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service with respect to the protection of Canadians. I invite the opposition to support this bill and the measures that we will introduce to protect Canadians. That is the main role of a state and the government.
Public Safety October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as I just said, our government did not wait for these tragic events to take place to ensure that the RCMP and CIS have the resources necessary to carry out their fundamental and important mandate. That is why we have increased the budget of each of these agencies by over one-third.
Commissioner Paulson said yesterday that he was adjusting to the changing nature of the threat and that is why he moved resources based on priorities. We will continue to support our police forces and intelligence agencies in order to improve Canadians' security and safety.
Public Safety October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, what I can assure the member is that in the past our national security agency and our law enforcement agency have counted on this Conservative government to improve the budget by one third in each case. We are there to provide them with the resources that are necessary. Unfortunately, we cannot count on the support of the opposition, but we are moving forward.
Let me also quote Commissioner Paulson, who said yesterday, “I didn't come here to get resources. I came here to help understand the nature of the threat. We are going to make decisions; we have made decisions; and we will continue to make decision around moving resources to respond to the greatest threat to the safety of Canadians”.
They can count on us.
Public Safety October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Wascana. Although we find ourselves in this place, our hearts are also with the people of Hamilton who are paying tribute to one of their own. This honourable citizen will go down in history as a brave and down-to-earth Canadian and as the victim of a heinous act.
That said, as I mentioned, the RCMP, CSIS, the Ottawa Police Service and the Department of National Defence are currently studying last week's tragic events. The RCMP has asked the OPP to take charge of the entire investigation. We will base our actions on the findings of these analyses.
Public Safety October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that the bill clarifies the scope of CSIS's mandate, which will make the review committee's job easier. That is why I am hoping that we can count on the support of the NDP to quickly pass this bill, which is an additional tool to protect Canadians from the terrorist threat, from the threats to which we are exposed.
I have complete confidence in the review committee's ability to do its job. We will continue to ensure that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service implements the relevant recommendations in order to be more effective and more accountable to Parliament and Canadian taxpayers.
Public Safety October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question.
Bill C-44 will indeed clarify the mandate of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. This will make it easier for the Security Intelligence Review Committee to do its job by clarifying the terms under which the agency can operate, particularly when it comes to international activities that were the subject of comments made by the review committee. That will be included in the bill.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service will fulfill its mandate and make sure that Canadians are protected.
Public Safety October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I expect that the committee that oversees the operations of our intelligence agency will be properly completed. I thank the committee for its important report on the intelligence activities.
It is important to maintain trust between our Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the review committee, the government, and Canadians, and all for the sole purpose of protecting the public. We will continue to support the efforts of the review committee so that it can achieve its mandate and be accountable to all parliamentarians.
Public Safety October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, regarding the hon. member's two questions, there are provisions in the bill tabled today that would take into consideration the privacy rights of individuals. It is a good tool that would improve the safety of our country, and we intend to move forward.
With regard to oversight of our intelligence, we have strong and robust oversight. We formerly had NDP members sitting on the advisory committee on that oversight body. I expect that our intelligence will follow up on its recommendations.