FAIT Committee Report
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CHAIR'S FOREWORD
The tragic terrorist attacks of September 11 have had a profound impact on citizens in North America and around the world and have changed the context within which we must approach key questions of domestic and foreign policy. The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade had already planned to undertake a study of the issues facing Canada within North America before September, but events have highlighted urgent security and other concerns in the short-term, and their long-term impact remains to be seen.
This preliminary report highlights key issues we heard in our first series of hearings on these issues, and effectively outlines the parameters of the study the Committee will complete over the next year. We are grateful to the experts and officials who made the time to meet with us to help us identify the key issues which the Government of Canada must address both in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and in the longer term.
The Committee has decided to release this preliminary report for two reasons. First, it allows us to highlight key issues raised in our hearings to date that the government must address on an urgent basis, particularly in respect of resources available to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the intelligence community. Second, it can essentially serve as a framework for the hearings we will hold across the country next year. The issues we will consider over the next year are both complex and important, and we will benefit greatly from our discussions with Canadians.
Bill Graham, M.P.
Chair