Intelligence reform needed to rebuild confidence, Muslim group tells MPs
OTTAWA — Reform of national security agencies — not just more oversight and review — is needed to rebuild confidence and trust, a national Muslim group says.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims told MPs studying the Liberal government’s wide-ranging national security bill Tuesday that new watchdog powers won’t fix the “culture of impunity” and systemic ills within Canadian security agencies.
The council’s executive director, Ihsaan Gardee, said the bill strengthens the security establishment, even as the available evidence suggests disarray — bias and top-down bullying — within the institutions that carry out intelligence-gathering and enforcement.
“Oversight of those agencies is not sufficient,” Gardee said during a meeting of the House of Commons public safety committee. “Real reform is necessary.”