George Kolisnek g Senior Research Fellow

Transcription

1 CANADIAN NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY George Kolisnek g Senior Research Fellow

2 WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING THIS ISSUE? 2004 the Canadian government published the National Security Policy document entitled Securing an Open Society: Canada's National Security Policy. Three key security priorities: protecting Canada and Canadians at home and abroad; ensuring that Canada is not a base for threats to our allies; and, contributing to international security Update entitled Securing an Open Society: One Year Later, there has been no single all encompassing document published since. The purpose of this presentation is to give a brief overview of Canada s progress to date in pursuing these themes and the issues that have grown out of them. The results are varied and have potentially good and bad news for both Canadians and Americans concerned with security issues.

3 SECURING AN OPEN SOCIETY: CANADA'S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY 2004 The Department of Public Safety designated as the body responsible for the testing and auditing of federal departments' key security responsibilities and activities. The Government established a National Security Advisory Council which is made up of security experts external to government. An advisory Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, composed of members of Canada's ethno-cultural and religious communities, created. An Integrated Threat Assessment Centre has been established to ensure that all threat-related information is brought together, assessed and reaches all who need it in a timely and effective manner.

4 SECURING AN OPEN SOCIETY: CANADA'S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY 2004 National Security Committee of Parliamentarians?? Critical Infrastructure Protection Strategy?? National Cybersecurity Strategy?? Arm s length review mechanism for RCMP national security activities?? Facial recognition biometric technology on the Canadian passport p (2011)

5 CURRENT SITUATION Minority Conservative government Liberals, l New Democratic Party, Bloc Quebecois each have balance of power No bipartisan consensus on security issues Bureaucracy changing Significant economic changes Demographic shifts due to immigration Arctic climate change and access to resources

6 GOOD GOVERNANCE

7 GOVERNMENT CONCERNS Conflict and instability abroad Terrorism Islamic extremism Home grown terrorism Foreign espionage: political, economic and military targets Organized crime Pandemics Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

8 CURRENT SITUATION Home-grown terrorism and the phenomenon of radicalization leading to violent extremism Toronto 18 Border d security Transportation security (air passenger and cargo, rail and mass transit) Security Certificates under legal challenges Afghanistan detainees Legal challenges: ATA, O Connor (Arar) Inquiry, Air India Inquiry, Khawaja, Khadr

9 OPPOSITION S PRIORITIES Adopt a made-in-canada climate change plan, including a binding and verifiable cap-and-trade system with hard caps, absolute reductions, and fairness to all industries and regions; Call an investigation into the national shame of missing and murdered Aboriginal women; Develop a National Neurological Strategy to address Alzheimer s and dementia; Reaffirm Canada s traditional support for a woman s right to access contraception and reproductive health services; Pursue proven crime-prevention solutions that reduce crime, prevent victimization and enhance community safety; Strengthen oversight of our independent watchdog agencies; and Provide the public with transparency over the government s role in the transfer of Afghan detainees by reconstituting and ending Conservative boycotts of Parliament s Afghanistan committee, and respect the will of Parliament by handing over unredacted documents in a manner that protects legitimate claims of national security

10 GOVERNMENT OPTIONS Update continuation of 2004/2005 Do nothing credibility gap Long comprehensive statement not necessarily required and lengthy time to complete Short strategic statements most manageable and chosen option

11 GOVERNMENT CHALLENGES Canadian engagement and Canadians in unstable regions Border issues with USA (5,525 mi) Critical infrastructure protection Legal challenges to existing legislation Free trade and travel- WHTI Economic well being - > $1.6B/per day Enhancing intelligence capacity (foreign?) Money laundering and terrorist financing Cities becoming centres of power

12 KEY PLAYERS Public Safety Canada lead Contributors: RCMP provincial po ca policing gand national ato a security CSIS counterintelligence, HUMINT DND Afghanistan, Haiti, NATO, NORAD, Olympics CBSA - Armed Transport Canada - CATSA Justice legal challenges DFAIT international institutions Health Canada immigration, pandemics

13 BAD NEWS Canada will not always have the same view as the USA of global issues Canada focuses much more attention ti on social issues as security issues, in part due to high immigration numbers Canada is a consensus decision-making society and the government reflects that ethos The Canadian Forces, RCMP and other security agencies are small even by relative comparison to their US counterparts Canadian government policies are slow to develop, especially on strategic issues, due in small part to US rapid shifts in direction The Canadian political landscape is unlikely to change for the next few years with a succession of either minority or weak governments

14 Canada is a stable ally GOOD NEWS One of Canada s highest priorities is not to provide a base for threats to the USA Canada is a main trading partner and places a high priority on maintaining the flow of goods and business Canada is resource rich Canada belongs to most of the alliances and partnerships p that the USA belongs to Recognition by Canadian governments that the security and prosperity of Canadians are interdependent

15 Questions? George Kolisnek Senior Research Fellow