OTTAWA – The watchdog who watches over the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has identified inconsistencies in the federal government’s efforts to ensure that sharing intelligence with foreign entities does not result in torture.
The objective of the Avoiding Complicity in Abuse by Foreign Entities Act is to prevent torture of persons detained outside the country as a result of exchanges of information by Canada.
The Office for the Oversight of National Security and Intelligence Activities (OSSNR) assessed the efforts of 12 federal organizations, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Global Affairs Canada, from the perspective of to implement procedures under this law.
In a recent report covering a portion of 2019, OSSNR notes that despite the considerable work done by these organizations, their approaches differ.
For example, he notes a lack of standardization in assessing the risk of abuse by other organizations and in some countries’ human rights records.
In particular, the agency recommends that Canadian government organizations find a way to ensure that they assess such risks in a consistent manner.
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