Wednesday February 5, 2020 ~ NATIONAL
~ West Shore Voice News
Today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians – a multi-party committee first established in 2017 that includes representatives from both the House of Commons and the Senate.
“Canadians count on our security and intelligence community to respond to evolving threats in a way that protects their safety and security, and upholds their rights and freedoms,” it was stated in a release from the Prime Minister’s office.
The Committee, chaired by David McGuinty, Member of Parliament for Ottawa South, has the authority to review national security and intelligence activities carried out across the Government of Canada. It reviews activities of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Communications Security Establishment, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Canada Border Services Agency, among many others.
The Committee provides the Prime Minister with an annual report, and special reports when needed. The reports, which include findings and recommendations, are tabled in both the House of Commons and the Senate.
“Keeping Canadians safe is the top priority of our Government and all parliamentarians,” said Trudeau in the release. “This committee is important to our democracy and national security, and these dedicated parliamentarians will help protect Canadians as well as the values, rights, and freedoms that define our way of life.”
The members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians includes three Liberal MPs (one of which is the chair), two Conservative MPs, one Bloc Québécois MP, one NDP MP, and three senators:
- Donald Davies, NDP
- The Honourable Dennis Dawson, Senate
- Theodore James Falk, Conservative
- The Honourable Frances Lankin, P.C., C.M., Senate
- The Honourable David J. McGuinty, P.C., Liberal (Chair)
- Glen Lavern Motz, Conservative
- Christine Normandin, Bloc Québécois
- Jennifer O’Connell, Liberal
- Brenda Shanahan, Liberal
- The Honourable Vernon White, Senate
The Committee was first created under the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2017. It is dissolved at the end of each session of Parliament, and new members are appointed after the new session of Parliament opens.
The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians assists the Committee in fulfilling its review mandate.