Security lawyers warn that blanket intelligence source protection could endanger court proceedingsPublic Safety Minister Steven Blaney has unveiled new federal plans to boost protection for intelligence sources, by giving them the same protections bestowed upon police informants in criminal cases. The new bill, which will likely be tabled next week, is meant to clarify the current laws, the minister told reporters. "CSIS is relying on those sources, since it is an intelligence agency, so that is why it is so critical and important that we enable CSIS with the same authority that other law enforcement agencies have … so CSIS can fully operate and protect Canadians within the scope of the law." In response to a question on how such evidence could be tested in court without giving defence attorneys the ability to cross-examine sources, CSIS assistant director of operations Andy Ellis pointed out that the agency "has a very robust system in place" for gathering information. "We make every attempt to ensure that the information we're getting is corroborated and accurate, and we do not act on single-source information."
[ Read the rest ... ]
