The Public Complaint and Review Commission is the proposed independent and public review body for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency. The legal scope and capacities of the new body are detailed in Bill C-20 (An Act establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission and amending certain Acts and statutory instruments), tabled last spring by the Minister of Public Safety, the hon. Marco Mendicino. The Bill will be up for debate in the House of Commons this autumn.
USJE considers that the creation of an oversight and review mechanism for both agencies is in keeping with the expectations of the Canadian public when it comes to trustworthy, reliable and accountable safety institutions to serve the country.
C-20 goes a long way in reinforcing that trust by establishing a largely independent oversight mechanism over the two governmental bodies.
We would like to recognize the timeliness of this government initiative. C-20 fulfills commitments made in last year’s Throne Speech and is a clear and structured attempt to meet the needs of Canadians when it comes to accountability.
USJE encourages the membership to sign the following petition in support of C-20: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4030