Trudeau says he’s ‘still waiting’ for Quebec premier’s plan on temporary immigration

OTTAWA – A new watchdog report says there are fundamental issues with the use of polygraphs for security screening by Canada’s cyberspy agency.

It calls for the Communications Security Establishment and the federal government to urgently address them or stop using the tests for security screening altogether.

The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency says it’s the first time a Canadian independent review body has done such a detailed assessment on this type of program.

The report says CSE’s use of polygraph tests, and the Treasury Board’s authorization of the tests for security screening, raises “serious concerns” under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

It says CSE policies didn’t adequately address privacy issues, and outlines concerns involving the collection and use of personal and medical information.

It also cites “repetitive and aggressive” questioning by examiners, often resulting from an assessment that was initially negative.

Such questioning “risks causing some subjects to inadvertently fabricate information in an effort to explain an unfavourable polygraph assessment,” it outlines.

The tests measure physiological responses like heart rate and blood pressure to detect deception.

But the review body says the research it looked at “simply does not support the existence of a scientific consensus supporting the reliability or validity of the polygraph as a means to detect deception.”

The report says CSE placed too much importance on the polygraphs, “to the extent that other, less intrusive security screening activities were insufficiently used or not used at all.”

It adds that the polygraph results were “de facto determinative” in making decisions related to security screening.

The watchdog says in a background document the Treasury Board should “undertake a thorough analysis to support which screening tools it promotes and requires while being mindful that security screening does not grant an organization the licence to override the fundamental privacy protections granted under Canadian law.”

In a document responding to the report, CSE and the Treasury Board defended the use of polygraphs.

The Treasury Board said the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency is “proposing to remove a security measure that has been in successful use for almost four decades, and that is applied to only a small fraction of the public service for protection of only the most sensitive information.”

The board said the recommendation did not consider the current threat environment “or the proven record of that security measure in uncovering adverse information.”

It said the proper use of polygraphs does not conflict with Canadian laws or values.

CSE said polygraphs help establish an individual’s loyalty to Canada but are a “small portion” of its screening apparatus. It indicated it plans to make some changes, including to ensure quality control of the tests.

But it said it plans to continue using the tests, “as it remains confident that the polygraph is an important security screening tool that is particularly necessary in light of the current national security and intelligence landscape.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say their governments will collaborate more on issues ranging from the war in Ukraine to foreign interference, as they face off against rising populism and misinformation.

“In these troubled times, we have an agenda that is extremely aligned,” Macron said in French during a Thursday visit to Parliament Hill, thanking Trudeau for “the hospitality and especially the shared vision.”

Macron arrived Wednesday evening for a short visit to Ottawa and Montreal, with the pair discussing a slew of issues ranging from the French language and ocean protection to the gang crisis in Haiti and defence.

On Haiti, Macron hinted France might finally meet two years of demands from Trudeau that Paris sanction some of Haiti’s political and economic elites, whom Canada and the U.S. have barred from financial transactions on the basis of support for gangs that are terrorizing the country.

“We will take the necessary actions in terms of sanctions or equipment, as we have discussed ourselves (in France) and within European bodies,” Macron told reporters in French.

The pair also talked about escalating violence between Israel and Lebanon, and an effort led by France and the U.S. for a three-week ceasefire, which Israel has rejected despite support from G7 countries and Gulf states. Macron said he didn’t see that initial rejection as Israel’s final response to the proposal.

The visit follows a March vote by France’s senate to reject the European Union’s trade deal with Canada, against Macron’s wishes.

He said “tempers flared” over the deal, known as CETA, but he is confident the deal will be fully implemented, noting that most of it is operational and boosting trade for both France and Canada.

“If someone is against CETA today, it is someone who never wants to make trade agreements with anyone again, because it has the best standards of any (deals) that we have ratified,” Macron said in French.

After the formal meeting on Parliament Hill, Macron flew to Montreal, where in addition to the news conference he attended a discussion on artificial intelligence with Trudeau and met with Quebec Premier François Legault.

Both governments have overseen measures that limit the role of religion in the public sphere.

Since 2004, France has had a law banning conspicuous religious symbols and garments in public schools, including hijabs and kippahs as well as large Christian crosses. Such policies have inspired laws like Quebec’s Bill 21, which since 2019 has blocked Muslim women from a slew of government jobs.

Macron lamented that France’s policies have been caricatured in the English-speaking world and caused divisive debates. “The French model of secularism is not a model of exclusion of religions,” Macron said, while stressing that France doesn’t impose the model on other countries.

“If it inspires (others) I welcome it, but everyone must pursue their model in a democratic way,” he said, based on local history and living together in harmony.

Both Trudeau and Macron have faced a rise in populist movements and discontent that has challenged each country’s policies on climate change and immigration. This summer, Macron’s allies lost control of the national legislature in a snap election that saw a rise in turnout for left- and right-wing parties.

Trudeau’s government has had a sustained slump in the polls amid frustration over housing costs made worse by a boom in short-term immigration.

Meanwhile, both leaders endorsed a joint statement Thursday on a “stronger defence and security partnership.”

The statement builds on work dating back to the D-Day landings 80 years ago, and pledges to “fight against foreign interference and information manipulation.”

It pledges to “strengthen our co-operation in the area of military equipment support to Ukraine and training” and stick with ongoing work to bring home children abducted by Russia.

“Canada and France will support Ukraine for as long as it takes to thwart Russia’s war of aggression,” reads the statement, which unlike some previous Canadian statements does not mention outright victory for Ukraine.

Both leaders say the statement “will enable us to provide more effective support to Ukraine.”

In the Indo-Pacific, both countries will beef up “strategic and military analysis” and study opportunities for joint patrol missions, such as possibly integrating Canadian support in the deployment of a French aircraft carrier.

The two countries will also increase communication to better respond to “foreign interference operations and information manipulation.”

Later Thursday, a group of protesters waved Palestinian flags and shouted “Shame on you!” near the blocked-off Old Montreal street where the two leaders attended an evening reception in the presence of a few hundred politicians and dignitaries.

In their remarks at the event, Trudeau and Macron took turns painting themselves and their countries as friends and allies who share a common vision on issues including climate change, global armed conflicts and technological change.

“This solid friendship, we need it more than ever, for ourselves and the challenges we face,” said Macron, who concluded his speech with “Long live the friendship between Canada and France!” before he and Trudeau exchanged hugs and went into the crowd to greet the guests.

Macron and Trudeau were in New York earlier this week for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, and they will meet again next week, this time in France, for the Francophonie summit.

Macron last visited Canada in 2018 for a meeting of the G7 leaders, but a French president hasn’t made an official, stand-alone visit to Canada in a decade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.

—With files from Émilie Bergeron and Morgan Lowrie in Montreal.

HALIFAX – An offer of additional financial aid to Nova Scotia’s wine industry is still on the table despite being rejected by grape growers earlier this week, say provincial officials.

During a briefing Thursday, Finance Department officials said the offer presented to an industry working group last week is fair and complies with international trade rules.

“We think it’s reasonable, (and) it’s rooted in the evidence that our consultant provided for us,” said associate deputy minister Lilani Kumaranayake, referring to an independent report authored by Acadia University business professors Donna Sears and Terrance Weatherbee.

The offer would increase payments to wineries and grape growers by an additional $1.6 million — for a total of $6.6 million per year — and it would give payments capped at $1 million per year to each the province’s two commercial wine bottlers.

The province’s winemakers say subsidies for bottlers are unfair because they help the bottlers import cheap grape juice to make wine that is less expensive than locally produced wines.

The department said the funding amounts to a 65-35 per cent split — a ratio based on the GDP of wineries and commercial bottlers and the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation’s acquisition costs for their products.

Kumaranayake said the province has also offered an additional $850,000 to operate a wine authority that would help regulate the industry and to formulate a wine sector growth plan.

She said the new funding plan will not take effect by the proposed Oct. 1 date because the wineries don’t want the money, although the government is set to continue talks.

“The premier received a letter saying the farm wine group was not interested in the proposed change, so at this point in time we will remain with the status quo.”

That means funding levels will remain at $5.05 million a year for wineries and $844,000 a year for commercial bottlers, Kumaranayake said.

Thursday’s presentation came after working group co-chair Karl Coutinho informed Premier Tim Houston in a letter earlier this week that he was resigning over the government’s offer, which he characterized as an “enormous disappointment” to the province’s wineries and grape growers.

Winery owners and grape growers say commercial bottlers shouldn’t receive public money, arguing that the province’s offer would effectively subsidize foreign grape juice at the expense of Nova Scotia-grown grapes.

“We’re not looking for more money, we are looking for the proper investment structure,” Coutinho told reporters on Thursday. “It (funding) needs to be more focused on the agricultural side of our industry. What they have presented — albeit it’s more money — but it’s not a salve to the overall issue.”

Although the consultant’s report did recommend that government funding should offset grape imports that have been subsidized by their country of origin, Kumaranayake said that wasn’t possible because the province doesn’t have the ability to determine how much of a subsidy has been applied.

Tim Ramey, of Blomidon Estate Winery, called the government explanation a “red herring.”

“Who else subsidizes imported grapes … where?” an exasperated Ramey asked. “Nowhere.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.