This public consultation will help inform future changes to national security tools, including those introduced in the Antiterrorism Act, 2015 (former Bill C51), to ensure that Canada’s national security framework is effective in keeping Canadians safe, while also safeguarding our values in a free and democratic society.
This consultation took place from September 8, 2016 to December 15, 2016. The Government of Canada believes that it is important for Canadians to be informed and engaged on Canada’s national security framework.
National security agencies have an important and difficult mandate in protecting all Canadians from terrorist threats, and we believe they generally strive to do their work in a way that respects human rights. But history has shown us that serious human rights abuses can occur, not only abroad but in Canada, in the name of national security.