The Conservative government has quietly given Canada’s national police force and the federal border agency the authority to use and share information that was likely extracted through torture.
Newly disclosed records show Public Safety Minister Vic Toews issued the directives to the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency shortly after giving similar orders to Canada’s spy service.
The government directives state that protection of life and property are the chief considerations when deciding on the use of information that may have been derived from torture.
They also outline instructions for deciding whether to share information when there is a “substantial risk” that doing so might result in someone in custody being abused.
As key members of Canada’s security apparatus, both the RCMP and border services agency have frequent and extensive dealings with foreign counterparts.