MPs can keep watch on spies, Strahl says
Chuck Strahl, one-time Conservative cabinet member and the former chair of the CSIS watchdog Security Intelligence Review Committee, says that as Parliament moves to pass Bill C-51, its members have the ability to put the spy agency and its expanded powers under a closer microscope.
Rather than argue about what is right or wrong with the legislation, he says, Canadians are better served if political parties call senior CSIS and SIRC officials before committee to answer any questions and testify as to the goings-on within the agency.
“They can get the director of CSIS to come and testify, and the ministers,” he said. “They can be grilled for hours about what’s going on, how to ensure it’s being done properly and safeguard human rights.”
While committees cannot ask about individual top secret cases, they are free to ask about how judges are assigning warrants or how information is being handled.
Bill C-51 is the federal government’s controversial proposed anti-terror legislation which would give sweeping powers to CSIS, expanding its ability to collect information on perceived “threats” to the security of Canada. The bill would give CSIS the right to investigate suspected threats without a warrant, and make it illegal to promote terrorism. It also would give the police the right to seize “terrorist propaganda.”
The uncertainty of what this means has led to opposition by the NDP and some security experts.
The question, he says, is whether SIRC will continue to have the resources it needs to properly do its job unimpeded by ministers and CSIS itself.
Strahl mentions that while Bill C-51 is a powerful piece of legislation, SIRC still has a stringent review process due to the fact all political parties are represented on the House of Commons committee.
He says rather than worry about reviewing the actions of CSIS, it is more important to make sure government review agencies do not “drop the ball” on investigations between agencies.
For example, if the RCMP is investigating a criminal act that later becomes a national terrorist threat, then the RCMP, CSIS and other involved departments are all on the same page and communicating effectively.
When multiple agencies are involved, the followthrough to the end is essential, he said.