PACP Committee News Release
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Standing Committee on Public Accounts |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent des comptes publics |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
The government needs to resolve important issues on national security
Ottawa, June 19, 2009 -
The government needs to provide more clarity and precision of how it will resolve concerns raised by the Auditor General about its national security activities, according to a report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented in the House of Commons today.
The threat and reality of terrorist attacks, such as the Air India disaster in 1985, demonstrate the need for government organizations to effectively manage security intelligence. At the same time, the government must maintain a balance between protecting the privacy of citizens and ensuring national security.
In March 2009, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) released an audit called National Security: Intelligence and Information. This audit followed up on previous recommendations, and while satisfactory progress had been made in 8 of 12 recommendations, progress in other areas was slow.
According to the OAG, the government needs to move forwards with revising the independent review framework for intelligence agencies, resolving potential legal barriers to information sharing, ensuring that high-risk individuals do not have access to restricted areas at airports, and completing a government-wide communications system at the secret level.
The Committee was not satisfied with the government’s action plan to address these issues because it did not contain sufficient detail or timelines to enable to the Committee to hold the government to account for taking action. Consequently, the Committee made several recommendations for the government to report back to the Committee on progress in these areas. The Committee hoped that the government will take these issues seriously and provide more clarity and precision of how and when it will resolve them.
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