Despite wrangling over procedure, members of a House committee agreed on a framework to investigate how an alleged ISIS torture video participant became a Canadian citizen.
The House Public Safety and National Security Committee (SECU) convened for a rare summer sitting Tuesday at the behest of the Conservatives, concerned over last week’s arrest of Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his 26-year-old son Mostafa Eldidi in a thwarted Toronto terror attack.
The meeting kicked off with word the Bloc Québécois decided to align themselves with the NDP and Conservatives — scoring the Tories a much-needed majority vote on the Liberal-dominated committee.
The meeting started with chair Ron McKinnon recognizing a motion by Liberal committee member Jennifer O’Connell, demanding testimony from the Public Safety and Immigration ministers, alongside “relevant departmental officials.”
Conservative committee member Frank Caputo offered an amendment asking additional witnesses to testify, including former Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, interim CSIS director Vanessa Lloyd, RCMP commissioner Michael Duheme, and various deputy ministers and department officials.
The motion will set aside six meetings — with two the last week of August — to discuss “the foiled terrorist plot in Toronto, the security screening process in place to review permanent residence and citizenship application to ensure that individuals who have engaged in acts of terror are unable to enter Canada, and how Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi was admitted to Canada and obtained citizenship.”
Conservative MPs were happy with O’Connell’s motion but wanted it to go further.
“The primary thing worth highlighting in the amendment that we put forward to Ms. O’Connell’s motion is a sense of urgency and comprehensive review of the systemic failures that occurred in this case,” said committee member Jamal Jivani.
O’Connell agreed with the Conservative amendments, and spent the balance of her speaking time extolling national security investments made by the government, and criticized unspecified CBSA cuts made by the Harper Conservatives nearly a decade before the Trudeau Liberals came to power.
“We look forward to having these meetings so Conservatives can truly appreciate that their cuts have consequences to our national security and the safety of our community,” said O’Connell.
Caputo told the Sun he was happy with the outcome.
“It’s easy to blame somebody from 10 years ago when the failures of today lay at the feet of those in power today,” he said.
“It’s time they stop blaming Stephen Harper — if they want to find out who is to blame for their policies, they only need to look in the mirror.”
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