Public Safety / Bill C-2

HANSARD: Compliment on Bill C-22 debate

Toronto Star: How the Carney government will scale back its police powers bill: sources

OTTAWA—The Carney government is set to tweak some parts of its controversial reforms to police search powers, as it tries to push the bill through Parliament in the face of widespread opposition.

The Star has learned the Liberals are preparing to halve the time electronic service providers would have to retain Canadians’ metadata from one year to six months, according to two sources with knowledge of the changes who requested anonymity to speak freely.

A two-year expiry to potential ministerial orders requiring a company to upgrade their systems to make it easier for police to intercept private communications will also be added to the legislation, according to the sources. 

The Carney government is also expected to add “protections for encrypted communications,” as Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree promised this week, after critics warned that wording in the legislation — which gives providers the option to refuse compliance if it would introduce a “systemic vulnerability” — was too vague. It’s not yet clear what exactly that will look like.

Those concessions and other proposals from opposition parties are expected to be presented at a committee meeting Thursday, a final marathon hearing in the House of Commons after the Liberals moved to shut down debate and accelerate the legislation while accusing the Conservatives of obstructing Parliament.

Bill C-22, the lawful access legislation long-sought by Canadian police and spy agencies who say it’s a necessary modernization, still has to pass through the Senate before becoming law.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.thespec.com/politics/federal/how-the-carney-government-will-scale-back-its-police-powers-bill-sources/article_d5b6c356-8a7d-503b-aa71-8a570e30ae04.html

MEDIA RELEASE: NDP Public Safety Critic Jenny Kwan Condemns Liberals' Push to Fast-Track Bill C-22, Demands End to Secret Surveillance Powers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NDP Public Safety Critic Jenny Kwan Condemns Liberals' Push to Fast-Track Bill C-22, Demands End to Secret Surveillance Powers
 
New Democrats remain deeply concerned about Bill C-22 and the government's decision to force the bill through committee before parliamentarians had a meaningful opportunity to debate the full package of amendments adopted last night or listen to the concerns of civil liberties organizations across the country. While several amendments partially improve the legislation, they do not resolve its fundamental civil liberties and privacy concerns. The government fixed some of the most obvious problems in Bill C-22, but it did not fix the central problem: Canadians are still being asked to trust broad surveillance powers, secret orders, and future regulations that Parliament itself has never fully examined.

We welcome changes clarifying that electronic service providers cannot be compelled to introduce systemic vulnerabilities into their services and that providers cannot generally be forced to decrypt information they do not control, although loopholes and vague wording in these definitions still leave much room for concern.

However, concerns around lower thresholds for Canadian and foreign law enforcement to access personal information went unaddressed and the bill continues to create sweeping new surveillance authorities while granting significant discretion to ministers and Cabinet behind closed doors. The government has preserved broad powers to require the retention of metadata deemed "essential" for law enforcement and national security purposes, despite longstanding concerns that metadata can reveal intimate details about a person's life, associations, movements, and activities. The bill also continues to rely heavily on secret orders, confidentiality requirements, and regulatory powers that will receive far less parliamentary scrutiny than primary legislation.

Although new review and reporting provisions involving the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency are welcome, oversight after the fact is not a substitute for robust safeguards before personal information is collected, retained, or accessed.

Canadians deserve legislation that protects both public safety and fundamental rights. Instead, the government chose to curtail committee debate while dozens of amendments remained under consideration.  The centralizing approach of the Carney government continues.

New Democrats believe Parliament must carefully examine any legislation that expands state surveillance powers, affects digital privacy, or risks eroding civil liberties. Bill C-22 falls far short of that standard, and Canadians deserve better.

PUBLIC SAFETY #44: Addresses Bill C-22

*Click [ Read more ] to read Jenny's full speech on Bill C-22.

PUBLIC SAFETY #42: Bill C-22 NDP-2 Amendment

Toronto Star: Carney government testing use of AI in prisons to create profile reports of offenders

OTTAWA—The Canadian government is considering the use of artificial intelligence to save time creating influential assessment profile reports of offenders as they go to federal prisons, and is running a small-scale trial to test it, the Star has learned.

Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Federal Politics
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Mentioned in lengthy documents tabled in Parliament last month and confirmed by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), the test run comes as the Carney government tries to ramp up AI adoption, including with billions in a national strategy released this week.

But the prison trial, which CSC says has not yet been used in real cases, is raising concerns from AI experts, criminal defence lawyers and the federal NDP’s public safety critic, who argue a widespread adoption could lead to crucial errors, exacerbate racial biases and put offenders and victims at risk.

Criminal profile reports, as they are called, are detailed “foundational documents” prepared by CSC staff during a prisoner’s intake process that identify risks and play a role in major decisions like access to programs and likelihood of parole.

Drawing from scores of official documents, they include details about an offender’s criminal history, the circumstances of their crimes, patterns of violence or behavioural, mental health and addiction issues, family and social background, trauma history, education and employment records, and even victim impact statements.

“This is what defines your offence cycle,” criminal defence lawyer Nora Demnati said of those reports. “It will have an impact on everything else that comes.”

That’s why the Carney government should slow down and consult widely, including with the CSC union, its lawyers and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada before going further, said NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s public safety critic. Neither the Union of Safety and Justice Employees or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner have been consulted yet, they told the Star.

Kwan warned of a multitude of legal concerns that go both ways and can have a “cascading impact”: Violating the rights of inmates if mistakes are added to reports, on one hand, or hurting victims and prison staff if crucial information is missed by the AI summaries, on the other.

“When you have those kinds of risks associated with correctional policing matters, you can imagine what the huge ramifications might be,” Kwan told the Star. “You could potentially compromise people’s legal rights.”

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/carney-government-testing-use-of-ai-in-prisons-to-create-profile-reports-of-offenders/article_ce33a6c9-794a-423c-884f-ace1e91872e2.html#tncms-source=login

Yahoo News: Bill C-22: NDP MP Jenny Kwan slams Lawful Access Act as 'most invasive piece of legislation'

Critics warn the controversial bill would give sweeping powers to Canadian security intelligence and law enforcement, jeopardizing the privacy and civil liberties of citizens.

This week, Bill C-22, formally called the Lawful Access Act, is moving through Parliament. The bill, which is currently being reviewed, was introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government this past March, and is aiming to update criminal and national security laws for the digital age. The legislation would grant law enforcement and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) new powers as well as access to digital data and meta data.

Jenny Kwan, NDP MP for Vancouver-East, says we shouldn’t be fooled by the bill’s promises on the surface. She agrees that in this modern age, because of changes in technology, we need to modernize our lawful access approaches so that the policies in intelligence agencies can do their work.

“But effective policing and intelligence work can and should operate within a robust legal framework that preserves judicial oversight and limits data collection to what is strictly necessary,” she tells me from her constituency office. “This bill fails: It lowers the threshold for access to personal information. It expands executive authority over digital infrastructure. It mandates and enables large-scale data retention, and increases systematic exposure of private communications.”

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://ca.news.yahoo.com/bill-c-22-ndp-mp-jenny-kwan-slams-lawful-access-act-as-most-invasive-piece-of-legislation-132532250.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAK_uGIKQSU7dt0CpvhZ2cYzqc4_8YtxtaJ5JD5W3hEmlh2fQ2qcdKT9UH9_KuDrEkbM-79IZAg4jMWFobdgNmJCdbnv3p8-Tf-d5oyf9yK9E32nRnnbTyAzsVx1YRB07XbLh_crhXtu3G0Ng3OlVt3BnZDu16TejlOl_KCskwBZ9

Global News: Liberals questioned on details of police cooperation MOU between China and Canada

NDP MP Jenny Kwan questioned the Liberal government in the House of Commons on Monday about an agreement the Carney government recently signed with China. "Canada signed a police cooperation agreement with China behind closed doors. The RCMP reportedly reviewed that Canada cannot publicly disclose details of the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) without Beijing's approval... Will (Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand) be frank with Canadians, if she asked China's commission to release the MOU, yes or no?" Kwan asked. "Canada has entered into MOUs with China on combatting crime in various forms since 2010. And has historically been the case with this agreement, the advice of Canada's intelligence agencies are always followed," Anand replied. Anand told the House that during her conversation with China's Foreign Affairs Minister, she raised her government's concerns on various issues, such as transnational repression and domestic human rights issues.

*Click image or link to watch the press conference video - https://globalnews.ca/video/embed/playlist/11877116,11863785,11874436,11871845/

 

HANSARD: Will the minister be frank with Canadians and tell us whether she asked China's permission to release the MOU?

CTV News: Advocates call on Anand to raise transnational repression concerns with China’s top diplomat during Canadian visit

OTTAWA -- Human rights advocates plan to protest on Parliament Hill when China’s top diplomat Wang Yi arrives to meet his Canadian counterpart.

The demonstrators, many of whom are members of the Chinese diaspora, are urging Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand to bring their concerns about transnational repression to Wang and to tear up a police co-operation agreement between the RCMP and China’s Ministry of Public Security. (MPS)

This week, Conservative MP Frank Caputo, who sits on the Standing Committee on Public Safety, demanded government transparency and for the police co-operation agreement to be released without redactions.

“The prime minister called Beijing Canada’s greatest security threat. That was during the election. Despite this, within a year he signed a memorandum of understanding with Communist China as it relates to security. I’ve been asking for the (MOU) for over five months, but the prime minister has refused to disclose it,” Caputo said during question period.

NDP MP Jenny Kwan also called for the MOU’s release in a social media post.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/advocates-call-on-anand-to-raise-transnational-repression-concerns-with-chinas-top-diplomat-during-canadian-visit/