Parliamentary oversight

Spy agencies to get unprecedented parliamentary oversight under new Liberal legislation

Federal spying and other clandestine national security activities will face new and unprecedented parliamentary scrutiny under long-promised Liberal legislation to be unveiled within days.

The Grits will introduce a bill creating an all-party committee of parliamentarians, chaired by Ottawa Liberal MP David McGuinty, to keep a dedicated eye on the effectiveness, legality and strategic direction of the country’s expanding national security apparatus.

The move fulfils a key Liberal election promise, but also renews questions about the status of the government’s much-promised overhaul of the controversial Anti-terrorism Act of 2015, otherwise known as Bill C-51, rushed through Parliament last spring under Conservative majority rule.

Despite sustained Liberal criticism of C-51 while in opposition and repeated promises to reform it if elected, no formal changes have been proposed during eight months in power.