New review mechanism for the RCMP?
The Federal Budget says that “in response to concerns expressed by the public, provinces and territories, parliamentary committees and several major reports, including the Brown Task Force and the O’Connor Commission of Inquiry, the Government is taking action to enhance the independent review of RCMP actions.” $8 million is promised over two years to create “a new civilian independent review and complaints commission for the RCMP.”
If this is truly a response to public concern, parliamentary committees and the Arar Inquiry, why only the RCMP? Human rights and civil liberties organizations, the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (see its report here), and all three opposition parties have all backed the model called for by the Arar Inquiry: The creation of an integrated system of review with the capacity to review the work of the multitude of agencies involved in national security investigations. Right now, the Canadian Border Services Agency, and Transport Canada have no effective review process. Existing review mechanisms cannot look beyond the agencies they are responsible for — the Security and Intelligence Review Committee, for example, cannot look beyond CSIS, and the RCMP Complaints Commission can’t look beyond the RCMP. The Arar Inquiry recognized that we need a body that can essentially do what it did — look in an integrated way at the many agencies involved in national security work.
The Arar Inquiry released its recommendations in December 2006 — more than three years ago. The government has since stalled on implementing that recommendation, saying it’s waiting for Justice John Major’s report from the Air India inquiry. This simply doesn’t make sense. Two commissions of inquiry into much more recent scandals — first the Arar Inquiry, then the Iacobucci Inquiry — have determined that Canadian agencies played a role in the detention and torture of Canadian citizens. More cases, such as that of Abousfian Abdelrazik, have emerged since. Now, more than nine years after the 9/11 attacks, we have less checks and balances in place, national security agencies have more powers, and anyone needing answers like these men did would have to call for another public inquiry.
Maher Arar, Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki and Muayyed Nureddin had the courage to stand up to and demand answers from Canada’s intelligence agencies — perhaps Prime Minister Harper can look to their example, and find the courage to stand up to them too.
