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SECU – Committee & Appearance Overview – August 28, 2024

Committee Mandate

The Standing Committee on Public Safety (SECU) reviews the legislation, policies, programs and expenditure plans of government departments and agencies responsible for public safety and national security, policing and law enforcement, corrections and conditional release of federal offenders, emergency management, crime prevention and the protection of Canada's borders.

Appearance Background

Under Standing Order 106 (4), SECU met on August 13 to discuss a request to call the Minister of Public Safety, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and others to discuss security concerns, particularly in reference to the alleged foiled terrorist plot in Toronto by Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi and his son.

That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) …The committee shall hold 6 meetings, including two the week of August 26, and priority is to be given to the Ministers appearances, to discuss the foiled terrorist plot in Toronto, the security screening process in place to review permanent residence and citizenship application to ensure that individuals who have engaged in acts of terror are unable to enter Canada, and how Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi was admitted to Canada and obtained citizenship.

Briefing Strategy

This appearance will be two meetings:

10-11am

11-12pm

12:30-2:30pm

Minister Leblanc will begin with Opening Remarks regarding the Government’s security screening measures for foreign nationals coming to Canada. No other remarks will be provided.

Recent Committee Business

Studies

A list of studies the committee has moved to undertake in the 44th Parliament.

Reports

A list of reports the committee has presented in the 44th Parliament.

Environmental Scan

The committee is expected to focus on the security screening process in place to review permanent resident and citizenship applications, in order to ensure that individuals who have engaged in acts of terror are unable to enter Canada. They specifically want to know how Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi was admitted to Canada and obtained citizenship. The committee will also focus on the roles the departments and agencies involved play in immigration security screening, monitoring and information-sharing of foreign nationals before they enter Canada, when they arrive at the border, and once they are in the country.

Committee Membership

Ron McKinnon
(Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC)
Chair of SECU

Doug Shipley
(Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON)
Vice-Chair of SECU

Kristina Michaud
(Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC)
Vice-Chair of SECU

Chris Bittle
(St. Catharines, ON)

Frank Caputo
(Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC)

Iqwinder Gaheer
(Mississauga—Malton, ON)

Heath MacDonald
(Malpeque, PEI)

Dane Lloyd
(Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB)

Alistair MacGregor
(Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC)

Jennifer O’Connell
(Pickering—Uxbridge, ON)

Glen Motz
(Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB)

Salma Zahid
(Scarborough Centre, ON)

Conservative Party of Canada

SECU Members

Frank Caputo
(Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC)
Shadow Minister for Public Safety

Doug Shipley
(Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON)

Glen Motz
(Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB)

Topics of Interest

Relevant Party Issues

The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) has been vocal in support of holding SECU meetings to study the Eldidi case. The party has explicitly indicated through its website it intends to pose questions on the immigration program through which Eldidi entered, the date he became a permanent resident, as well as the date he became a Canadian citizen.

Recent Party Activity

August 13 – News Release: Indicated Conservatives at SECU would ask the government to explain the immigration program through which [accused terrorist] Eldidi entered, the date he became a permanent resident, as well as the date he became a Canadian citizen (Conservative Party of Canada Website).

August 8 – News Release: Called upon the government to agree to “emergency meetings on attempted ISIS terrorist attack” (Conservative Party of Canada website).

August 7 – X: Questioned how an alleged terrorist was granted Canadian citizenship. This post was also distributed by CPC SECU members MP Shipley, Caputo, Lloyd, and Motz (Poilievre).

May 10 – Oral Questions: Accused the Minister of falsely claiming all international students undergo a criminal record check to enter Canada (Khanna).

April 15 – Oral Questions: Alleged the government allowed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to recruit, fundraise and promote its ideology in Canada (Genuis).

New Democratic Party

SECU Member

Alistair MacGregor
(Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC)

Topics of Interest

Relevant Party Issues

The New Democratic Party (NDP) have expressed their support for SECU studying the Eldidi case.

Through a publicly shared letter to SECU’s Chair, SECU member Alistair MacGregor indicated he wishes to pose questions on how Eldidi entered Canada, became a naturalized citizen and remained undetected for numerous years. He further suggested the study would be an opportunity to address the government’s “inadequate” security screening, leading to individuals from oppressive regimes coming to reside in Canada.

Recent Party Activity

August 7 – X: Shared a letter to the Chair of SECU supporting a meeting on alleged terrorist immigration to Canada (MacGregor).

May 27 – CIMM: Argued delays in security screening processing, specifically pre-screening, were delaying immigration applications from Gaza (Kwan).

Bloc Québécois

SECU Member

Kristina Michaud
(Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC)
Vice-Chair of SECU; Critic for Public Safety

Topics of Interest

Relevant Party Issues

The Bloc Québécois (BQ) has not been vocal on the Eldidi case. The party has expressed concerns on numerous occasions in the past about IRCC “losing track” of newcomers to Canada, and it is likely the case will prompt further questions on the government’s management of the immigration system.

Recent Party Activity

May 23 – Debates: Remarked the government has lost track of hundreds of thousands of people on Canadian soil (Blanchet).

April 15 – Debates: In the context of barring members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps from Canada, questioned whether the government would be able to enforce such a measure given IRCC had lost track of some 1.5 million refugee claimants (Normandin).

Liberal Party of Canada

SECU Members

Ron McKinnon
(Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC)
Chair of SECU

Heath MacDonald
(Malpeque, PEI)

Salma Zahid
(Scarborough Centre, ON)

Chris Bittle
(St. Catharines, ON)

Iqwinder Gaheer
(Mississauga—Malton, ON)

Jennifer O’Connell
(Pickering—Uxbridge, ON)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety

Topics of Interest

Party Position

The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) outlines their immigration commitments in their 2021 Platform.

Recent Party Activity

March 22 – Debates: Described how the government has used immigration legislation to ban Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members from visiting Canada (O’Connell).

May 22 – Debates: Remarked that “approximately 17,800 applications had been reviewed for potential inadmissibility under the IRPA, and IRCC had cancelled 82 visas” (Briere).

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2024-12-24