About the committee: Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security—Study on Mandate Letter Commitments (March 21, 2024)
SECU Committee overview
Committee Members: At a glance
| Name | Political affiliation | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair | |||
| Heath MacDonald | Liberal | Malpeque, Prince Edward Island | not appicable |
| Vice-Chairs | |||
| Doug Shipley | Conservative | Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, Ontario | Associate Shadow Minister for Public Safety |
| Kristina Michaud | Bloc Québécois | Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, Quebec | Critic for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Climate Change, Youth |
| Members | |||
| Jennifer O'Connell | Liberal | Pickering-Uxbridge | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs (Cybersecurity) |
| Ron McKinnon | Liberal | Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, British Columbia | not appicable |
| Chris Bittle | Liberal | St. Catharines, Ontario | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities |
| Iqwinder Gaheer | Liberal | Mississauga—Malton | not appicable |
| Peter Schiefke | Liberal | Vaudreuil—Soulanges | not appicable |
| Peter Julian | NDP | New Westminster—Burnaby | Critic for Canadian Heritage; Public Safety; Deputy Critic – Finance |
| Dane Lloyd | Conservative | Sturgeon River—Parkland, Alberta | Shadow Minister for Emergency Preparedness |
| Glen Motz | Conservative | Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner | not appicable |
| Damien C. Kurek | Conservative | Battle River—Crowfoot | not appicable |
About the Committee
SECU was created on , at the start of the 39th Parliament. The Committee is responsible for one of the largest departmental portfolios, including close to 140 statutes administered by the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and its agencies, including the CBSA.
Committee Mandate
SECU reviews the legislation, policies, programs and expenditure plans of government departments and agencies responsible for public safety and national security, policing and law enforcement, corrections and conditional release of federal offenders, emergency management, crime prevention and the protection of Canada's borders.
The Standing Orders of the House of Commons provide that the committee may review and report on:
- Legislation proposed by the government or Members of Parliament
- Immediate, medium- and long-term expenditure plans, and the effectiveness of their implementation by the department
- An analysis of the relative success of the relevant department, as measured by the results obtained as compared with its stated objectives
- Other matters relating to the mandate, management, organization, or operation of the department in question, as the Committee deems fit
The committee examines the policies, programs and statutes relating to the following departments and agencies:
- Public Safety Canada (PS)
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
- Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
- Correctional Service Canada (CSC)
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- Parole Board of Canada (PBC)
- Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (CRCC)
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police External Review Committee (ERC)
- Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI)
CBSA-related Committee activity since winter 2023
( to present)
- Effects of the withdrawn amendments (G-4 and G-46) to Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms) – completed on Tuesday,
- Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms) – Completed and Report presented to the House on Friday,
- Bill C-20, An Act establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission and amending certain Acts and statutory instrument – Completed and Report presented to the House on Thursday,
Current studies
- Growing Problem of Car Thefts in Canada Rights of Victims, Reclassification and Transfer of Federal Offenders
- Mandate and Priorities of the Minister of Public Safety
- Bill C-26, An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts
- Bill S-210, An Act to restrict young persons' online access to sexually explicit material
- 2022 Saskatchewan Mass Murders
Committee Members
Heath Macdonald (Chair)
Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Malpeque, Prince Edward Island
Profession/Occupation: Politician/ Director
Political experience:
- First Elected in 2021
- Current member of Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) and Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (SAGRI)
- Long-time MLA in PEI. Earned recognition from various organizations for his efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities
Doug Shipley (First Vice-Chair)
Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, Ontario
Profession/Occupation: Politician, Small business owner
Political experience:
- First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021
- Former Member of SECU ( to )
Potential key interests: Barrie opioid crisis
Kristina Michaud (Second Vice-Chair)
Political affiliation: Bloc Québécois
Constituency: Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, Quebec
Critic for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Climate Change, Youth (since 2019)
- Profession/Occupation: Political staffer
- Riding includes Port of Matane (marine, commercial)
Political experience:
- First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021
- Long-time member ( to present) and Vice Chair of SECU ( to present)
Jennifer O'Connell
Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Pickering-Uxbridge, Ontario
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs (Cybersecurity) (since )
Profession/Occupation: Politician
Political experience:
- First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
- Former Parliamentary Secretary to the:
- Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities ( to )
- Minister of Health (2021)
- Minister of Finance ( to )
Ron McKinnon
Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Profession/Occupation: Computer Systems Analyst
Political experience:
- First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
- Former Chair of the Standing Committee on Heath ( to )
Chris Bittle
Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: St. Catharines, Ontario
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities (since )
Profession/Occupation: Politician
Political experience:
- First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
- Former Parliamentary Secretary to the:
- Minister of Canadian Heritage ( to )
- Minister of Environment and Climate Change (March to )
- Minister of Transport ( to )
Iqwinder Gaheer
Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Mississauga—Malton
Profession/Occupation: Politician and Lawyer
Political experience:
- First elected in 2001
- Member of SECU and INDU
Peter Schiefke
Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Vaudreuil—Soulanges, Quebec
Profession/Occupation: Worked in sustainable development to both domestic and international causes
Political experience:
- First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
- Chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
- Former Parliamentary Secretary to the:
- Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship ( to )
- Minister of Environment and Climate Change ( to )
- Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction ( to )
- Prime Minister (Youth) ( to )
Peter Julian
Political affiliation: New Democratic Party of Canada
Constituency: New Westminster—Burnaby
NDP Critic for Canadian Heritage; Public Safety; Deputy Critic – Finance
Profession/Occupation: House leader of the New Democratic Party (since 2019 to present)
Political experience:
- First Elected in 2004
- Critic - Canadian Heritage; Public Safety; Deputy Critic – Finance
Dane Lloyd
Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Sturgeon River—Parkland, Alberta
Shadow Minister for Emergency Preparedness (since )
- Profession/Occupation: Politician
- Riding includes Villeneuve Airport (airport of entry)
"service suspended until further notice"
Political experience:
- First elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
- Former Shadow Minister for:
- Digital Government ( to )
- Rural Economic Development ( to )
Glen Motz
Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner
Occupation: Served for 35 years with the Medicine Hat Police Service and retired as Inspector in 2015
Political experience:
- First elected in 2016
- Vice Chair DEDC and Member of SECU
- Previously served on the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP)
Damien C. Kurek
Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Battle River—Crowfoot
Occupation: Worked as a farmer and seasonally in the oil and gas sector, continues to work on his family farm
Political experience:
- First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021
- Also a member of:
Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI)
- Date modified: