OTTAWA—The federal Conservatives aim to increase information sharing between security agencies, as well as protect the identity of intelligence sources in court proceedings, with new terrorism laws expected later this month.
The new legislation appears to be aimed at addressing perennial concerns from law enforcement and national security agencies about protecting their informants while ensuring their evidence is admissible in court.
In an interview with CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said the legislation will attempt to develop a "sound legal basis" to give police and security agencies expanded powers.
"(The bill will) make sure that those individuals, we can track them. So we can exchange information all within the scope of the law, on one part, and also that those who are working with our intelligence (agencies) can be protected, just as a police officer source is protected," Blaney told CTV. "We need (that) legal, sound basis so we can have the tools that are needed to keep us safe."
Successive public inquiries — into the 1985 Air India bombing, the Maher Arar inquiry led by Justice Dennis O'Connor, the Iacobucci inquiry into detentions abroad of three Muslim Canadians — have called on Ottawa to do just that: create a legislative framework to clarify how to use human and electronic intelligence information as evidence.
Blaney revealed the broad strokes of the legislation days after confirming to the House of Commons' national security committee that a new anti-terror bill was in the works. The Conservative government has used recent concerns about a possible attack on Canadian targets — something that has not occurred since the Air India bombing — to justify the need for new measures.
Canadian authorities confirmed to the Commons committee last week that they were aware of between 130 and 150 people with connections to both Canada and terrorist organizations. The RCMP and security agencies have 63 active domestic investigations, according to RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, involving around 90 individuals.
Michel Coulombe, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said that while there is a real threat, authorities do not want to overstate the risk to Canadians. Nor are the 90 individuals under investigation all battle-hardened fighters — some may have been involved with financing and providing material support, while others engaged in propaganda or promoting extremist views, he said.
"We don't want to sound alarmist; we're telling people that they should go about their daily life, but we have to remain vigilant," Coulombe said on Wednesday.
Asked why those 90 individuals remain free while under investigation of terrorist activities, Blaney told CTV that agencies need the time to build an effective case.
"We are living in a democracy. We are not just going out there and arresting people … we need to translate this intelligence into evidence," Blaney said.
In proposing new anti-terror laws, Ottawa appears to be following the lead of the United States. At a meeting of the UN Security Council in September, U.S. President Barack Obama shepherded a resolution urging all member countries to crack down on the recruitment and travel of those looking to join terrorist causes abroad.
The Obama administration also requested that Canada take a limited combat role in the fight against the Islamic State, leading to the deployment of six CF-18s and around 300 personnel to Kuwait, to join in airstrikes in Iraq and potentially Syria. The troops will join as many as 69 special forces personnel who have been tasked with providing strategic advice to Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces trying to push back Islamic State fighters.
The Conservatives have framed the deployment around Islamic State's threat to the global community, but also around the risk the terrorist organization poses to Canada.
Islamic State is now "present over a vast range of territory in both Iraq and Syria, flying its flag and openly promoting the concept of international jihad — that is international terrorism — against targets across the world, including targets in this country," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Whitby on Thursday. "And that's why we're acting responsibly with our allies to deal with that."
It's not known when Blaney will table the proposed anti-terrorism measures. The minister's director of communications would say only they're coming "in the near future." The House of Commons is on a break week, meaning any proposed changes will have to wait until at least Oct. 20.
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