In the 2015 election campaign, the Liberals promised to repeal “problematic elements” of omnibus security legislation, known as Bill C-51, ushered in by the previous Conservative government.
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In his mandate letter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tasked Goodale to introduce new legislation that balances security with Canadians’ rights and freedoms. These changes will ensure Canada’s national security framework is effective in keeping Canadians safe, and equally in safeguarding Canadians’ Charter rights in a free and democratic society.
This could roll back new provisions allowing CSIS to disrupt terror plots through tactics that breach the charter as long as a judge approves.
The Federal Liberal government wants to hear from Canadians about re-vamping national security legislation.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould were on hand for the announcement.
The Liberals’ discussion paper outlines the government’s main issues and asks the public specific questions on each topic.
The consultation will focus on topics that include terrorism measures in the Criminal Code, information-sharing between national security institutions, as well as measures aimed at investigative capabilities, prevention, and threat reduction.
The consultation, which can be found at canada.ca/national-security-consultation, runs until December 1.
Ensure that Canadians are not limited from lawful protests and advocacy.
Require a statutory review of the full Anti-Terrorism Act after three years. The government is also working on the establishment of a new national office and centre of excellence to bolster and coordinate community efforts to prevent vulnerable individuals from being radicalized to violence.
And earlier this summer the minister helped announce new legislation to create a joint oversight committee with robust powers to scrutinize national security matters.
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A government official speaking on background said the decision to frame consultations on C-51 within a broader discussion about national security is about making sure the consultations reflect how the debate’s pressing concerns have evolved over the past year.
