Public Safety Minister Provides Committee With Few Details on RCMP’s Spyware Use

Public Safety Minister Provides Committee With Few Details on RCMP’s Spyware Use
Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino rises during question period in the House of Commons, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 4, 2022. Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press
Peter Wilson
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Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino provided few details when questioned on Aug. 8 about his knowledge of the RCMP’s use of spyware technology capable of remote installation and surveillance on Canadians’ personal devices.

Appearing before the House of Commons Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, Mendicino was hesitant to give direct answers to questions about the RCMP’s possible circumvention of obtaining warrants necessary to use the technology, and about the agency’s lack of transparency with Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, in using the software.