Minister MacKay Highlights Measures to Better Ensure the

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - June 4, 2015) - Department of Justice Canada

Today, the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, highlighted a number of measures that will increase the safety and security of Canadians recently announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Toronto.

Our Government knows that the highest calling of any government is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. To this end, the Government announced new support, under Economic Action Plan 2015, for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to increase the agency's front-line capacity to combat the ever-evolving threat of terrorism. This funding will help support CSIS's counter-terrorism capabilities to better identify and address threats from terrorists planning acts on Canadian soil or from would-be terrorists trying to travel abroad to commit such acts elsewhere.

The Government announced that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will strengthen their resources currently allocated to countering terrorist threats in order to better crack down on the financing of terrorist groups through registered charities in Canada. It will build on current efforts to detect and suppress terrorist financing activities in the charitable sector, to help legitimate charities better protect themselves against terrorist abuse, and to ensure that the generous donations of hard-working Canadians are not being funneled to dangerous terrorist organizations.

Finally, the Government announced significant support over a five-year period to expand biometric screening measures to all foreign travellers entering Canada on a visa. These important measures will give Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials the tools they need to verify the identity of travellers and further improve the security and integrity of our borders.

Quick Facts

Economic Action Plan 2015 committed significant support for intelligence and law enforcement agencies to ensure that they have the tools they need to protect Canadians and their families from the evolving threat of jihadi terrorism.
On May 21, 2015, Prime Minister Harper announced increased support for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the CBSA to help ensure the safety and security of Canadians from terrorist threats.
Through measures included in Economic Action Plan 2015, including the Prevention of Terrorist Travel Act and amendments to the Canadian Passport Order, the Government is taking action to strengthen Canada's ability to cancel, refuse or revoke passports as a preventative measure against high-risk travellers.
The measures announced today are in addition to several pieces of legislation that our Government has introduced or passed to help ensure the safety and security of Canadians, including the Anti-terrorism Act 2015, the Combating Terrorism Act in 2013, important amendments to the Citizenship Act, the Protection of Canada from Terrorists Act, the Prevention of Terrorist Travel Act, and changes to the Canadian Passport Order.

Quote

"The brave men and women of our law enforcement and security agencies stand between the peace and order we treasure as Canadians and the fear and anarchy our enemies would seek to unleash upon us. That is why I am proud to announce today these significant resources to ensure that those who work so diligently to keep us safe have the tools necessary to do so. We will continue to support those who put their lives on the line every day in order to ensure the safety of all Canadians and their families and to protect the values of freedom, justice, tolerance and openness that we cherish in Canada."

Stephen Harper

Prime Minister of Canada

"Canadians want to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. Our Government recognizes that our role is to ensure the safety and security of our citizens. Terrorists threaten and oppose Canadian society because they hate our values. That's why this Government is making principled decisions and taking steps to better ensure the safety of Canadians from the threat of terrorism and protecting Canadian families from those who seek to do us harm."

Peter MacKay

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Related Products

- Additional Support to CSIS and CRA to Counter Terrorism

- New Resources to Expand Biometric Screening Measures to Better Protect our Borders

Associated Links

- 2014 Public Report On The Terrorist Threat To Canada

- Anti-terrorism Act, 2015

- Building Resilience Against Terrorism: Canada's Counter-terrorism Strategy

- Combating Terrorism Act

- Economic Action Plan 2015

- Prime Minister Announces Additional Support to Counter Terrorism