Prime Minister announces new members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

June 15, 2021
Ottawa, Ontario

The Government of Canada continues to do everything it can to keep communities safe. Canadians can count on our country’s national security and intelligence agencies to respond to threats while ensuring that their work protects the rights and freedoms of all citizens.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced five new members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. With these new appointments, all seats on the Committee are now full.

Chaired by the Honourable David J. McGuinty since its launch in 2017, this multi-party Committee includes representatives from both the House of Commons and the Senate. It provides a non-partisan approach to the review of national security and intelligence activities carried out across the Government of Canada. This includes activities undertaken by the Canada Border Services Agency, the Communications Security Establishment, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, among many others.

The Committee provides the Prime Minister with an annual report, and special reports when needed. The reports, which include findings and recommendations, are tabled in both the House of Commons and the Senate.

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“Security and intelligence must be synonymous with transparency and accountability. Together, parliamentarians on the Committee will continue to play an essential role in ensuring that our national security and intelligence community is held accountable for its practices, and that it has the tools needed to keep Canadians safe.”

The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick Facts

• The new appointees of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians are:
  • Leona Alleslev, Conservative
  • Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc Québécois
  • Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal
  • Iqra Khalid, Liberal
  • Rob Morrison, Conservative
• The new appointees will join the existing members of the Committee:
  • Don Davies, NDP
  • Dennis Dawson, Senate
  • The Honourable Frances Lankin, P.C., C.M., Senate
  • The Honourable David J. McGuinty, P.C., Liberal (Chair)
  • Brenda Shanahan, Liberal
  • Vernon White, Senate
• The Committee was first created under the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2017. It is dissolved at the end of each session of Parliament, and new members are appointed after the new session of Parliament opens.
• The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians assists the Committee in fulfilling its review mandate.

Associated Link

• National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

The 2020 Annual Report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) was tabled in Parliament today, Monday, April 12, 2021.

The 47-page report presents an update to the national security threat assessment first included in the Committee’s 2018 Annual Report. This overview examines the most significant threats, including terrorism, espionage and foreign interference, cyber threats, major organized crime, and weapons of mass destruction.

The Honourable David McGuinty, Chair of NSICOP, stated that “the Committee’s report represents the latest comprehensive summary of the major threats to Canada’s national security in a period of heightened global instability.”

The classified version of the report was delivered to the Prime Minister on December 18, 2020.

After tabling, the report will be available on the NSICOP website at https://www.nsicop-cpsnr.ca/reports-rapports-en.html.

Intelligence Review: Parl. Committee Releases 1st Annual Report

At a news conference in Ottawa, Liberal MP David McGuinty, chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and Rennie Marcoux, executive director of the committee’s secretariat, discuss the findings contained in their first annual report. The committee, which is comprised of both MPs and senators, reviews all government activities related to security and intelligence. The federal government first announced its intention to create such a committee in June 2016 and announced its initial membership in November 2017.

https://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/headline-politics/episodes/65967559/

Intelligence Review Committee Releases 2019 Reports

At a news conference in Ottawa, Liberal MP David McGuinty, chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and Rennie Marcoux, executive director of the committee’s secretariat, discuss the findings contained in the committee’s annual reports for 2019. The committee, which is comprised of both MPs and senators, reviews all government activities related to security and intelligence. (March 12, 2020)

https://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/headline-politics/episodes/66169845/

https://www.nsicop-cpsnr.ca/index-en.html

I am honoured to be re-appointed as Chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians has a broad mandate to review Canada’s national security and intelligence organizations.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the new and returning members of the Committee. I look forward to working with them to continue the important work of providing a non-partisan approach to the scrutiny of national security and intelligence issues in Canada.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act mandates the Committee to review:

• the legislative, regulatory, policy, administrative and financial framework for national security and intelligence;
• any activity carried out by a department that relates to national security or intelligence, unless the activity is an ongoing operation and the appropriate Minister determines that the review would be injurious to national security;
• any matter relating to national security or intelligence that a minister of the Crown refers to the Committee.

Committee members come from both Houses of Parliament. All hold Top Secret security clearances and are permanently bound to secrecy under the Security of Information Act. Members swear an oath or solemn affirmation indicating that they will obey and uphold the laws of Canada, and not communicate or inappropriately use information obtained in confidence as part their responsibilities on the Committee. On this basis, members are able to receive classified briefings and materials related to the conduct of the Committee’s work.

The Committee does not receive or deal with public complaints against national security and intelligence organizations.

Reports

The Committee must submit to the Prime Minister an Annual Report that includes the reviews conducted in the preceding year. The Committee may also complete a Special Report on any matter related to its mandate, at any time. The Prime Minister of Canada tables the Committee’s reports in both Houses of Parliament.

https://www.nsicop-cpsnr.ca/reports-rapports-en.html

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