Public Safety committee  Perhaps I could here and now say something about Air India. This inquiry was 20 years too late. Why was it too late and what were the obstructions that were put in place at the time? We now know from Ron Atkey, who was chair of SIRC, that he was persuaded not to conduct an inquiry, or his committee would not do an inquiry.

Public Safety committee  One reason that I think you need to look at the issue more broadly is that there are a lot of issues that perhaps aren't in the public forum right now. If you've been noticing the activities of Mr. Putin in recent years, they give cause for concern. Is he serious in what he wants to do and what he has done?

Public Safety committee  I think it has been front and centre in Canada for a long time. I mentioned the inquiry the MPCC did. That was a decade ago.

Public Safety committee  Absolutely, our privacy rights need to be considered. Again, what I was trying to do was open up the discussion beyond what is already present. The people who will be following me will be talking specifically about some of the nitty-gritty of the privacy issues.

Public Safety committee  If you look at the balance of oversight over the last decade, you will see that there are definite pluses and minuses. On the one hand, you could say the Conservative government introduced a number of important measures. It started with the Federal Accountability Act and the things that flowed from that.

Public Safety committee  If you have a committee that looks into this area of governance, I would hope that all political parties could agree on what our national interests are and what needs to be put in place. Is it necessary to have a chair? Could you survive with co-chairs and an equal balance between parties in opposition?

Public Safety committee  As I have said, I don't think Parliament can do its proper job when it comes to estimates and new legislation because it's absolutely crucial that you have the capacity to go into the tent in order to ask the right questions.

Public Safety committee  There are lots of other parts of the framework. National Defence is one, not only in terms of Canada's forces but also in terms of the analytical capabilities that it has in the intelligence area, in addition to the Communications Security Establishment, which falls under the remittance of that minister.

Public Safety committee  Let me answer it in a slightly different way. Within the last decade, there was a defence review of the intelligence sector. I don't think many people heard about that. What did it recommend? How did it change? It could have been, perhaps, made more effective. Given that the Canadian government is now pondering going into Africa, how good is that assessment area in Defence to prepare for the concerns that commanders might have in the field?

Public Safety committee  Let me put my view on the table here. I'm one of those people who believe that, providing government can make a case for powers and puts in place a robust and effective oversight system, that's fine. I want a security and intelligence system that is effective, and that is one of the functions of oversight.

Public Safety committee  I think that's the case. What is the purpose of terrorism? It it to make the public afraid. In that, Daesh has been effective.

Public Safety committee  In what sense?

Public Safety committee  I'm trying to suggest that's a function of Parliament, to look out for Canadians' interests in that area. It's a shared responsibility with a lot of other elements of our government system, but it's a primary one for Parliament to do.

Public Safety committee  Absolutely.

Public Safety committee  Absolutely. You can also learn from their techniques. I think you can draw on American experiences particularly, on just the techniques that Congress uses.