Cannabis
It’s ‘vital’ feds name Conservatives to security committee soon, or it’ll ‘become problematic’: critics, experts
It’s “vital for the legitimacy” of Parliament’s National Security and Intelligence Committee that the government name Conservative MPs to sit on the body soon or the two Tory vacant seats will become “problematic,” say critics and intelligence analysts. The 11-person National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) is down two members after Conservative MP […]
RCMP forensic lab ‘drowning in work’ as it misses all response targets, internal figures show
The RCMP’s forensic lab is behind on all of its performance targets, failing to complete half of all DNA requests and more than a third of toxicology tests within the target time even as it predicts a huge increase in samples the lab will need to process after changes to the impaired driving law. In […]
Security and Intelligence Committee members should be more actively monitored in wake of Clement scandal: Green Party leader
A national security expert and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May say that in the wake of former Conservative MP Tony Clement’s sexting scandal, members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, of which he was a member, should submit to having their online activity, including their private social media exchanges such as direct […]
Bill C-59 empowers our national security agencies by respecting our rights and freedoms
Debate on Bill C-59, the National Security Act, has begun in the Senate, and the position of its opposition critics is already clear: Bill C-59 will weaken national security. They make two general claims. First, that the new system of oversight and review will impose a burden on our intelligence and security agencies and do […]
Supreme Court case to decide on fundamental rights for migrant detainees
The Supreme Court of Canada will hear a case on Nov. 14 to decide whether migrants detained for immigration purposes have the right to challenge their detention using the long-cherished right of habeas corpus. Nine local organizations are intervening in the case of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, et al. v. Tusif […]
Work with Southeast Asia to help stem fentanyl flow, says UN rep
The explosion of synthetic opioids, in many cases originating from Asia, and record-level overdose deaths in Canada means Ottawa needs to engage with the region “in a way that they didn’t have to before,” says a United Nations representative for Southeast Asia. That means paying attention to drug flow and “precursor issues” such as where […]
Taiwan’s exclusion from Interpol is a serious gap in global security
With the 87th general assembly of Interpol scheduled to take place in Dubai from Nov. 18 to 21, it is in Canada’s and the world’s interest to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation as an observer in the organization that facilitates international police co-operation in combating transnational crimes. Counter-terrorism, organized crime, and cybercrime—the three focal areas of the […]
‘It happened to a whole country’: French novelist turns lens on Bataclan attack
OTTAWA—When reporters and publishers clamoured for him to speak about his experience as a survivor of the Paris attacks, the last thing Erwan Larher wanted to do was to stand as a witness to the terror that unfolded. The novelist in him rebuffed at the idea of writing about himself, opening his life up to […]
Pot lobbying to remain high in wake of legalization, insiders say
Since the Liberals came to power with a promise of cannabis legalization, a sophisticated government relations industry has bloomed out of the historic policy shift, with lobbying skyrocketing and the companies registered since 2015 having doubled those in the arena compared to three years before. That comes as no surprise to any involved in the […]
