The federal Liberal government iscreating a new "super" civilian watchdog to review security and intelligence agencies across government and extending new powers to Canada's electronic spy agency.

The proposed changes were unveiled this week as part of a massive legislative overhaulof Canada's anti-terrorism regime.

After tabling the 139-pagebill in the House of Commons, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodalesaid it aims to strike a better balance between strengthening security in a fast-changing threat environment, and safeguarding the charter and privacy rights of Canadians.

"The most important thing is making sure that the appropriate legal and constitutional framework is there to insure that the security agencies can do the work that they need to do with proper legal authorizationthat gives them the confidence to do their work well, and on the other side make sure that the public is confident that there is accountability, there is transparency, and that their rights and freedoms are being respected," Goodale told The House.

But even after introducing the massive piece of legislation, his job as safety minister is far from over.

Another big agenda item: dealing with the RCMP.

Goodale said the looming retirement of RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson is as good as time as any to consider rejigging the governance of the force, including a civilian oversight board.

"The change in command is an opportunity to examine all dimensions of governance and structure. The new commissioner will have important challenges to address in terms of maintaining the tradition and heritage of the force and at the same time acknowledging all of the new things that modern day policing requires," he toldChris Hall.

"Obviously we've had issues internally to deal with with the allegations of harassment, and bullying, a major class action that the RCMP has now been successful in settling...The RCMP is just an absolutely fundamental institution in this country and the standards in terms of workplace behaviour has to be absolutely top of the heap."

Goodale has already put his support behind the idea of civilian oversight, which was the key recommendation in a report by the Mounties' watchdog earlier this year.

The report came out almost a decade after a 2007 taskforce report also made the central recommednation to set up a civilian board of management for the RCMP.

Paulson's tenure as Canada's top Mountie come sto an end June 30th.

His retirement will come after 39 years of service, including 32 in the RCMP. He has served as commissioner for more than five years.

Former Conservative cabinet minster Erin O'Toole was unimpressed with the Liberals decision to announce a bill of this magnitude the day before the House of Commons rose for the summer break.

Conservative MP Erin O'Toole speaks about the government's national security legislation. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

"They trod out all the ministers with one or two days left and they drop another omnibus security bill knowing full well we're not going to be able to hold them to full account right away," he said.

Last summer, the Liberals introduced three public safety bills in June, including new legislation to create a joint oversight committee with powers to scrutinize national security matters.

NDP Critic for Public Safety Matthew Dube reacts to the new anti-terror legislation. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

O'Toole said this week's bill doesn't give law enforcement enough tools to react to potential terrorist attacks, arguing the Liberals seem oblivious to what's been going on in Europe, where trucks have been driven into pedestrians on bridges in London.

Matthew Dub, the NDP critic for public safety, said Bill C-51's information regime, one of the most controversial element of the old bill, still lives on in the new legislation.

"Apart from cosmetic changes, so changing the word sharing, to disclouse, the regime is more or less intact," he said.

"It's still overly broad."

Some Liberal MPs stood behind this bar on the floor of the Senate chamber Tuesday evening as senators voted on whether to accept amendments to the government's budget bill. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

"I think senators, more than ever, are determined to play their role," Andr Pratte, one of Justin Trudeau'sindependent appointees to the Senate, told The House.

That was afterSenators agreed to pass the federal budget bill without amendments, but only after a standoff between Canada'stwo chambersof Parliament that almost resulted in MPs being called back to Ottawa.

"The reason is that for years and years, many people have been complaining that senators are not doing anything. And I think that's been really unfair, but that's been a complaint."

In amending bills, the current Senate has so far shown a measure of restraint: no bill has been sent back to the House more than once, even when MPs have voted to reject the Senate's suggestions.

Even on the budget billamid grumbling about the government's toneand after the dispatch of a stern note to the House about the Senate's rights and authority senators agreed to revert to the original legislation after MPs objected. Historically, including as recently as 2006, the Senate has not been so willing to acquiesce after just one attempt.

"Their role is to look carefully at legislation, to suggest amendments, to alert public opinion," said Pratte.

"And of course all senators are well aware that they are appointed, that they are not elected. And that carries some weight when they decide what to do when the House rejects their amendments."

But, Pratte said, the Senate does not exist to "rubber stamp" the bills passed by the House.

"If that's our role, we don't have a role," he said.

"We don't need to be there," chimed in Conservative Senator Elizabeth Marshall.

Guy Caron speaks as he participates in the first debate of the federal NDP leadership race with Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton and Peter Julian, in Ottawa on Sunday, March 12, 2017. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)

It's sounds like a pretty ambitious goal: eliminating poverty in Canada.

But Quebec MP and NDP leadership hopeful Guy Caronargues it can be done. He's made the pledge a cornerstone of his big to replace Tom Mulcair as party leader.

"You can actually go into poverty if you're working at this point," Carontold The House.

The trained economist said that70 per cent of Canadians living in poverty are considered working poor.

"We need to do something about this," he said.

"We need to find transformative solutions to actually put an end to poverty."

Caron's rivals have criticizedCaronover the costing of his proposal. The MP for RimouskiNeigetteTmiscouataLes Basques estimates that it would cost around $30B to implement.

The Ontario government recently announceda plan to study basic incomein a three-year pilot project based inHamilton, Lindsay and Thunder Bay.

The province will explore the effectiveness of providing a basic incomeno matter what to people who are currently living on low incomes.

Originally posted here:

The Liberal approach to national security - CBC.ca