Committee won’t hear from former prime ministers on anti-terror bill

The Public Safety Committee of the House will be hearing from strong supporters and vocal critics of the government’s proposed anti-terrorism legislation, but not from four former prime ministers who have criticized the lack of oversight in Bill C-51.

The bill would beef up the powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, criminalize the promotion of terrorism and provide the RCMP with new powers of preventative arrest.

The witnesses to be heard during committee hearings will soon receive formal invitations, with 70 individuals on the list of those who will be asked to fill the 48 speaking slots.

According to the list obtained by The Globe and Mail, potential witnesses include current and former government officials, judges, university professors, law-enforcement officials and leaders of various native, environmentalist and Muslim groups. The committee, on which Conservative MPs hold a majority, also wants to hear from Canada’s international allies, including the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, and New Zealand Attorney-General Chris Finlayson.

However, the NDP has failed to convince the committee to call former prime ministers Joe Clark, John Turner, Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, who have written an open letter lamenting the lack of oversight of Canada’s spy agencies in the new legislation.

The list of those who will be considered to appear as witnesses includes:

    Maher Arar, victim of torture
    Louise Arbour, former Supreme Court justice
    Stockwell Day, former Conservative public safety minister
    Craig Forcese, professor of law at the University of Ottawa
    Deborah Grey, chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee
    Rick Hanson, chief of the Calgary Police Service
    Zuhdi Jasser of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy
    John Major, former Supreme Court justice
    Anne McLellan, former Liberal public safety minister
    Bob Rae, former member of SIRC, Ontario premier and Liberal MP
    Kent Roach, professor of law at the University of Toronto
    Jennifer Stoddart, former privacy commissioner
    Chuck Strahl, former Conservative minister and SIRC chair

Other potential witnesses include officials from groups such as Greenpeace Canada, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow, the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.

The Conservatives initially wanted to hold only three days of hearings on the matter, but relented last week as the NDP launched a filibuster in committee. There will now be nine days of hearings, with up to six witnesses appearing every day.

The first two witnesses at the committee, which starts its hearings on March 9, will be Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney and Justice Minister Peter MacKay. The pair are expected to provide a full defence of the government’s plans.

Mr. Roach and Mr. Forcese, on the other hand, have been two of the strongest critics of Bill C-51, arguing the vague definition of terrorism could chill free speech and bring environmentalists and native groups under increased CSIS scrutiny.

In an interview, NDP MP Randall Garrison said he is concerned that the committee will only have two hours with Mr. Blaney, Mr. MacKay and their officials, including RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and CSIS director Michel Coulombe.

“What we have seen so far from both ministers is a tendency to wave the fear flag rather than discuss the contents of the bill,” said the NDP’s public safety critic. “With a two-hour session with the ministers and all their officials, we are not likely to get very far.”

Mr. Garrison added he is concerned that the NDP’s wish list of witnesses has been “cut back so far” by the committee. He said the committee scheduled evening hearings in the week of March 23, but feels that more time could have been spent studying the legislation.

Original Article
Source: theglobeandmail.com/
Author:  Daniel Leblanc