OTTAWA, March 7, 2005 -- A key commitment of the Government of Canada's National Security Policy will be fulfilled today with the inaugural meeting of the 15-member Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security in Ottawa. During the two-day session, members of the Roundtable will have the opportunity to meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Irwin Cotler, and Minister of State (Multiculturalism) Raymond Chan. The Roundtable members will also hear presentations from, and engage in discussions with, senior officials from several federal departments and agencies including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the Office of the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister. "The Cross-Cultural Roundtable is an excellent opportunity for two-way dialogue between those who make national security policy and Canadians who are particularly concerned with the consequences of these policies," said Minister Anne McLellan, "I am pleased to participate in this important first meeting and I look forward to more opportunities to share knowledge and ideas with this esteemed group." "Our responsibilities as a government are to ensure the security of our citizens and the protection of their civil liberties. Accordingly, I want to express my appreciation to the members of this Roundtable for their commitment to share their perspectives and expertise in developing a principled approach to the relationship between security and rights," said Minister Cotler. "There will be men and women with many different ethnic, racial, cultural and religious backgrounds sitting at this table," said Minister of State Chan. "They will be able to guide us, on an on-going basis, in managing the security interests of all Canadians, as well as promoting mutual respect and common understanding in our diverse society." The goal of these and future meetings is to facilitate a broad exchange of information between the Government and diverse communities on the impact of national security issues. The Roundtable will provide input to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Justice, who will consider it in the ongoing development of matters relating to national security. The concept of the Cross-Cultural Roundtable was built into the National Security Policy to provide a forum to give insight to policy makers on how national security measures may impact Canada's diverse communities. Roundtable members were appointed on February 8, 2005, with Dr. Zaheer Lakhani named Chair and Dr. Myrna Lashley as Vice-Chair. - 30 - For further information: Alex Swann Director of Communications Office of the Honourable Anne McLellan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (613) 991-2863 Media Relations Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (613) 991-0657
