OTTAWA—The RCMP watchdog has launched a review of how well the Mounties learned the lessons of the Maher Arar torture affair. It marks the review commission’s first known foray into the RCMP’s national security operations since legislative changes gave it new muscle to probe Mountie intelligence efforts. Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian, was detained in New York in September 2002 and soon after deported by U.S. authorities — winding up in a gravelike cell in Damascus. The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP will examine issues ranging from the sharing of sensitive information with foreign governments to the detention of Canadians in overseas prisons. “The intent of the review is to foster public confidence in the RCMP’s national security activities by providing an independent, external examination of an operational area that may not otherwise be subject to outside scrutiny,” says a notice posted on the commission’s website.

Source: thestar June 15, 2016 16:50 UTC