NCCM WELCOMES COMMITMENT TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION FROM MP SALMA ZAHID ON THE DUTY OF CANDOUR
(Ottawa – June 6th, 2022)
Today represents an important juncture in Canadian civil society’s continuing efforts to hold its national security apparatus accountable.
NCCM welcomes MP Salma Zahid’s proposed tabling of legislation that could spell out new consequences for agents and leaders of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), as well as lawyers of the Department of Justice, who violate their Duty of Candour in court.
The Federal Court has found CSIS and its leaders to have repeatedly violated this duty over the years in a long-standing pattern that represents a “cavalier institutional approach” towards the law.
Over the years, an CSIS has also been involved in high profile scandals, such as the cases of Maher Arar, Abdullah al-Maliki, and Mohamedou Ould Slahi.
“These actions have tangible effects on the lives of Canadians, many of them in the Muslim community, which has been scrutinized under the harsh spotlight of national security since 9/11,” says NCCM CEO Mustafa Farooq. “The strain put on the trust between such communities and Canada’s national security and public safety bodies have thus been immeasurably damaged. At a time when Canadian Muslims are wondering whether their national securities agencies have a role in protecting them, we are just as concerned about systemic Islamophobia within our national security agencies.”