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SECU – Committee & Appearance Overview – September 19, 2024

Committee Mandate

The Standing Committee on Public Safety 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

On August 28, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officials appeared at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) regarding their motion to discuss security concerns, particularly in reference to the alleged foiled terrorist plot in Toronto by Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi and his son. The committee noted in their motion the need to discuss the security screening process in place to review permanent residence and citizenship applications 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.

On August 28, the discussions focused on the security screening processes in each agency and government department and understanding the role each plays on an everyday basis and in terms of the chronology of this case. Opposition parties were focused on determining failures in the system, while Liberal members of the committee expressed gratitude for the ongoing work all departments and agencies play every day to keep Canadians safe.

Briefing Strategy

This appearance will be split into two one-hour panels. The first hour, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., will be attended by Minister Miller and recommend the following officials accompany the Minister:

For the second hour, Dr. Kochhar will appear, along with the Deputy Heads of the other government agencies involved (listed below). For the Deputy Minister (DM) appearance, it is recommended that ADM Zafar sit at the table and that Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) Gill and Park attend but not sit at the table.

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 & Appearance Overview

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)

Other Active Members

Larry Brock
(Brantford—Brant, ON)

Rhéal Éloi Fortin
(Rivière-du-Nord)

Melissa Lantsman
(Thornhill, ON)

Pam Damoff
(Oakville North—Burlington)

Jamil Jivani
(Durham, ON)

Mark Gerretsen
(Kingston and the Islands)

Conservative Party of Canada

SECU Members

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

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

Dane Lloyd
(Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB)

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

September 17 – Debates: Remarked that the recent cases of alleged terrorists immigrating to Canada are harming“the confidence among Canadians and our peers abroad in the integrity of our immigration system” (Lantsman).

September 10 – X: Posted that an “accused ISIS terrorist, who was planning an attack in New York City entered Canada with a student visa in June 2023,” referenced the Eldidi case and said the Prime Minister is responsible for these “massive security failures” (Poilievre).

August 28 – SECU: Said it is a “colossal failure” that somebody slid under the radar from 2018 to 2024 (Caputo).

August 28 – SECU: Questioned if the government was doing its job in increased screening of asylum-seekers (Lantsman).

August 28 – SECU: Asked if biometric screening includes facial recognition (Brock).

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).

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 28 – SECU: Asked what risk indicators are included in the immigration screening process (MacGregor).

August 28 – SECU: Questioned if there are gaps in legislation, policy, resources, or finances that could be addressed to avoid this type of issue in the future (MacGregor).

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 prescreening, 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

August 28 – SECU: Asked if a thorough security check was requested by IRCC for the two individuals (Fortin).

August 28 – SECU: Requested more information on the process of security checks in immigration files (Fortin).

August 28 – SECU: Questioned if there are too many audit requests for the staff and resources available (Fortin).

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

August 28 – SECU: Asked how we are going to get to the end of this and ensure it never happens again (MacDonald).

August 28 – SECU: Asked if Canadians can feel safe that the government has the tools to deal with these kinds of terrorist threats (Damoff).

August 28 – SECU: Questioned the role of biometric information in protecting Canadian borders and serving as the foundation of identity management (Zahid).

August 28 – SECU: Asked about training and tools given to immigration officers who conduct initial inadmissibility assessments (Zahid).

August 28 – SECU: Questioned the security screening that takes place overseas for visitor visas (Gaheer).

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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2025-01-17