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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

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)

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