National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) is a proposed Parliament of Canada committee appointed to oversee Canada's national security and intelligence activities. The multi-partisan committee – which would include representatives from the House of Commons and the Senate – would have a broad government-wide mandate and special access to highly classified information. The new body would also perform strategic and systemic reviews of the legislative, regulatory, policy, expenditure and administrative frameworks under which national security activities are conducted. Bill C-22, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act was tabled by the Government on June 16, 2016.

Bill C-22, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act was tabled by the Government on June 16, 2016. Bill C-22 received second reading on October 4, 2016 and has been referred to a committee in the House of Commons.

Canada is the only member of “Five Eyes” without a permanent mechanism for parliamentarians to review national security activities. Parliamentary scrutiny of intelligence functions has been raised as an issue with every evolution of the intelligence community since the MacDonald Commission in 1979 "Commission of Inquiry Concerning Certain Activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police". Since that time, the landscape has shifted considerably both domestically and internationally. Since the events of September 11, 2001, there has been a substantial expansion in the breadth and intensity of Canada’s counter-terrorism efforts. The Special Senate Committee on Anti-terrorism concluded, “Canada now lags significantly behind its allies on the issue of parliamentary oversight as the only country that lacks a parliamentary committee with substantial powers of review over matters of national security.”

In 2004, the Interim Committee of Parliamentarians on National Security was established to recommend a national security oversight mechanism. The committee’s report, which was unanimously supported by the all-party membership, outlined the structure for a committee of parliamentarians. The committee found that "closer parliamentary scrutiny will better assure Canadians that a proper balance is being maintained between respect for their rights and freedoms, and the protection of national security." The committee recommended that "to allow more effective parliamentary scrutiny of the intelligence community, Parliament will require that some of its number have complete access to such classified information as they consider appropriate." The committee report recognized that "confidence between the intelligence community and the committee will be essential to the success of parliamentary scrutiny of intelligence functions" The committee also insisted that, "committee leadership positions should be elected by a secret ballot of its members to enhance the reality, and perception, of committee independence."

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