(Ottawa) A federal watchdog says a senior Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) official placed too much emphasis on a strategic relationship with a foreign organization when deciding whether sharing information posed a risk of torture.
The objective of the Avoiding Complicity in Mistreatment by Foreign Entities Act is to prevent the brutalization of a person detained abroad because of information that Canada exchanges with agencies abroad stranger.
The RCMP and other federal agencies subject to these provisions must assess the risk of mistreatment and whether such a risk can be managed.
In a report released today, the National Security and Intelligence Review Office (NSIRA) strongly cautions against including other considerations, such as promoting strategic relationships, in the assessment of significant risk.
NSIRA recommended that in cases where an RCMP Deputy Commissioner disagrees with a committee’s recommendation not to share information, the file be automatically referred to the RCMP Commissioner.
