National security laws

Public Safety Plans For Canada Ahead Of National Security Committee Launch

Later this month, the Canadian government will introduce legislation to create a new national security committee of parliamentarians with extraordinary access to classified information.

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ralph Goodale said in a column he wrote for The Huffington Post, published June 6, that individual rights and freedoms cannot be enjoyed without effective collective security, but that collective security must be achieved in ways that do not impair the very essence of that which the country seeks to protect.

“One thing is clear,” wrote Goodale, “Canadians want thoughtful, inclusive consultation and dialogue. Not fear mongering. And not naivete. The public wants to be honestly informed and sincerely engaged.”

Goodale, who addressed Standing Committees of both the House of Commons and the Senate last week, set out five key areas to achieve greater security and safety of citizens without impairing their individual rights and freedoms.

The first is an improved border arrangement with the United States, the details of which were determined during Prime Minister Trudeau's State Visit to Washington in March. Goodale said that implementing legislation for this arrangement is likely to be introduced in parliament later his month.

The package is anchored by a new legal framework and business plan for "Preclearance," allowing more travellers to pre-clear US customs and immigration requirements before they cross the border, thus avoiding lost time on arrival and gaining direct access to a larger array of US destinations from more Canadian departure points.