Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Newly released documents say the intelligence community's relationship with its key watchdog has been particularly strained over the last year due to a "level of resistance" to scrutiny.
The assessment appears in briefing materials prepared for Canada's top public servant in advance of a late January meeting with the chair of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.
The notes were disclosed to The Canadian Press in response to a request to the Privy Council Office under the Access to Information Act.
This is just the latest indication of serious tensions between the spy watchdog and the federal intelligence agencies it monitors.
It follows the recent release of intelligence review agency records that lamented a culture within the Communications Security Establishment of "resisting and impeding" independent review, frustrating efforts to ensure the cyberspy service is obeying the law.
The latest notes surface amid an RCMP investigation into leaks of classified information to the media -- including details of Canadian Security Intelligence Service reports -- concerning allegations of foreign interference by China in Canadian political affairs.
In January, national security adviser Jody Thomas sent a memo to Privy Council Clerk Janice Charette to brief her before a meeting with the chair of the intelligence review agency, known as NSIRA.
"The Chair considers that there remains a level of resistance to NSIRA's review activities and may seek your support in elevating the culture of review with Government of Canada departments and agencies," the memo says.
Created in 2019, NSIRA is an independent body, reporting to Parliament, that reviews all federal national security and intelligence activities to ensure they are lawful, reasonable and necessary. It also investigates public complaints regarding national security agencies and activities.
Background documents accompanying the memo from Thomas say the review agency's relationships with many organizations "have been challenging."
Contributing factors have included the need for departments to adapt to new review requirements without additional resources, as well as NSIRA's broad interpretation of its mandate and the approaches it has taken, the documents say.
They add that chair Marie Deschamps, a former Supreme Court judge, had recently met with Thomas and acknowledged that the adjustment to new review practices takes time and that "the culture of review is improving" within the security and intelligence community.
A preface to suggested "talking points" for Charette, as she prepared to meet Deschamps, noted that ministers and deputies had "been surprised by the topics raised and the level of detail discussed by the chair during bilateral discussions."
Charette was advised to tell Deschamps the Privy Council Office and the whole security and intelligence community recognized the importance of independent, external review.
"I am aware that, from the community's perspective, departmental relationships with NSIRA have been particularly strained over the last year," the suggested talking points read.
"I can assure you that these relationship difficulties are not, and in my view never should be, a disregard for the importance of NSIRA's review function. We cannot have a culture of resistance or reluctance to respond to review requirements."
The notes also cite the Privy Council Office's desire for all parties to commit to a "greater level of engagement at the senior management level" to address strategic issues and advance relationships.
"This includes solidifying communications between NSIRA and PCO, which has a team dedicated to co-ordinating across all departments on horizontal and strategic issues that arise during reviews."
The notes say the intelligence community had made progress in ensuring the review agency has access to departmental information holdings. In some cases, this has included creating stand-alone computer enclaves for review agency analysts to work within, or allowing for on-site validation exercises with staff from both organizations present.
"Departments now issue responses to all NSIRA recommendations, and PCO monitors and reports on the implementation status of recommendations."
Asked about the notes, the intelligence review agency said it continues to engage with members of the security community "to ensure appropriate responsiveness and access to relevant materials needed for our work."
Details on progress and remaining concerns will be discussed in the review agency's coming annual report.
Pierre-Alain Bujold, a PCO spokesman, said the central agency welcomes review of security activities "and understands that accountability for, and transparency in carrying out, these activities builds public trust."
He noted the most recent federal budget earmarks $53 million for departments and agencies with security and intelligence mandates, saying it will help them fulfil their obligations to comply with legislated review requirements in a timely manner, and to implement recommendations.
"All Canadians will ultimately benefit from increased accountability and transparency of national security and intelligence activities," Bujold said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2023.
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.