The U.S. killing of Iranian MGen Qassem Soleimani with a missile strike in January is being called “unlawful and arbitrary under international law” by a UN investigator who says the U.S. had offered no proof for President Donald Trump’s explanation that the strike was necessary to stop Soleimani from “plotting imminent and sinister attacks.”
Analyzing Canada’s public safety, border and national security and immigration issues through Budget 2019 and Bill C-97
Two men, Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier, had been arrested following Project Smooth, an RCMP national security investigation that began in 2012 and involved an undercover FBI informant who had infiltrated the alleged plot.
They were tried and convicted of terrorism in 2015, and lawyers get to work preparing for an appeal. Last week, they finally won the right to an appeal based on the type of jury selection chosen.
Western Canada Select (WCS) Oil is important for Canada and the World Market.
Canada’s new Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Minister finally has a mandate: What should Canadians expect?
As we go to press, I can’t help thinking about the recent revelation of a controversial, insane, deplorable, inappropriate (pick one) decision by Correctional Service Canada. Terri-Lynne McClintic was caught on surveillance video in 2009 leading little Tori Stafford away to her eventual death. It took police less than a month to catch and charge Michael Rafferty, 28, and Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, in the horrific abduction, rape, beating and murder of a defenceless 8-year-old girl.
The ineffectiveness of Canada’s system of removing non-citizens who have been ordered deported has increasingly been in the news – both for failed refugee claimants who have entered the country illegally, and the ongoing reality of non-citizens convicted of serious crimes. Put succinctly, in Canada there’s clearly a difference between being ordered deported and actually being removed.
Canada, a founding partner of both NATO and NORAD, is facing an increasingly asymmetrical threat environment that has become more complex because of lawfare and hybrid warfare. This requires Canada to have interlinked policies of defence and security; foreign affairs; economic and international trade; and environment. All of these issues are interconnected and cannot be viewed in isolation by any of Canada’s military, political or policy leaders.
As students across the U.S. march in solidarity for tougher gun laws in an uprising against the ongoing gun violence seen in their schools, the Government of Canada is introducing new gun legislation.
Democracy Watch released the letter it sent on 25 Sept 2018 to Ontario Auditor General (AG) Bonnie Lysyk calling on her to investigate and issue a ruling on the question of whether public money was spent on ads to produce and promote the Ford Conservatives’ fake news videos posted on social media and whether they violated the Government Advertising Act (GAA).
Statistics Canada wants to collect your individual banking transactions and sensitive personal identification information, but the initial plan has been put on hold after public outrage followed evidence that the data had been requested without consent of the randomly chosen Canadians.
The personal banking and financial transactions being requested include bill payments, cash withdrawals from ATMs, credit card payments, electronic money transfers and even account balances of Canadians across the country.
Thanks to excellent reporting by Andrew Duffy of the Ottawa Citizen, Canadians recently learned of a disturbing decision from Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Smith that acquitted a man of sexual assault against his former wife because the man and his then wife believed that their religion and culture entitled him to have sex with her whether she consented or not.
A Review of the Facts
With the return of Parliament on the near horizon, one of the security issues sure to attract attention (apart from the Omar Khadr $10.5M payoff and the Liberal government’s deer-in-the-headlights approach to the flood of persons illegally entering Canada to claim ‘refugee’ status) is what exactly is in Bill C-59 and how is it different from the Conservative’s much maligned C-51?
The House of Commons committee on the status of women has recommended that all RCMP members and judges receive mandatory training about gender-based violence and sexual assault.
The Government of Canada has repealed the coming into force of the private right of action for violations of Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). The Government has listened to concerns raised by businesses, charities and the not-for-profit sector about the implementation of CASL, which would have permitted individuals to sue for violations of the law.
On September 7, 2017, Fastenal Canada Ltd., of Kitchener, Ontario, was fined $265,000 after pleading guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice to two counts of contravening the Ozone-Depleting Substances Regulations, 1998 made pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The fine will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund.
Senator Bob Runciman has introduced a bill in the Senate to ensure judges have all the facts before they release violent or habitual criminals on bail.
Bill S-217, introduced on February 3rd, requires the prosecutor to make it known at the bail hearing if the accused has a criminal record, is currently facing other criminal charges or has failed to appear in court in the past. This may result in repeat offenders not getting any pre-trial credit at sentencing when they are deservedly denied bail because of their record.
The Government of Canada has introduced legislation to create a new labour relations regime for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members and reservists.
The legislation would address the Supreme Court of Canada decision on the Mounted Police Association of Ontario (MPAO) v. Attorney General of Canada case, which found key parts of the current RCMP labour relations regime to be unconstitutional.
The Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) Judge Advocate General (JAG) is launching consultations with Canadians as part of the ongoing comprehensive review of the court martial system.
After the body of Inuit artist Annie Pootoogook was found in the Ottawa River, Sgt Chris Hrnchiar of the OPS forensic identification unit made some online remarks that now have him under internal investigation. Still on the job, Hrnchiar could face loss of pay, demotion, suspension or dismissal.
Last week, federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) ministers responsible for justice and public safety concluded two days of productive engagement, working on justice and public safety priorities for Canadians.
An Elder welcomed ministers to traditional Mi'kmaw territory.
Experts are meeting today and tomorrow at Carleton University to discuss “the challenges of dealing with natural resource development projects and activism" - or, in the words of one participant, how to protect Canada's infrastructure from "domestic extremists".
