MPs and senators who oversee security and intelligence activities are calling on the government to create a clear framework to respond to terrorist hostage-takings.
In a report on Global Affairs Canada that was presented today, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians highlights various issues with the existing strategy.
The committee recommends that a new framework offer resources to support operational requirements during key episodes and ensure leadership for whole-government responses to hostage events.
Despite the fact that Global Affairs has routinely conducted some kind of lessons-learned exercise in the wake of key occurrences, the report claims that the recommendations from previous exercises were not put into practise.
The committee discovered that many of the same issues—such as gaps in centralised decision-making and ambiguous roles and responsibilities—occurred repeatedly.
It says a specialized unit established by Global Affairs in 2009 to develop formal policies, protocols and standard operating procedures had failed to do so..
Panel determines that Canada’s response to terrorist hostage takings faces “major problems.”
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