Goodale deflects questions about former terror suspect's lawsuit

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale today defended the Liberal government's handling of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service as he deflected opposition questions about the decision to ditch settlement talks in the Abousfian Abdelrazik lawsuit.

The Sudanese-Canadian is suing the federal government for $27 million over a year-long ordeal that saw him detained and effectively exiled after CSIS wrongly concluded that he was an al-Qaeda operative. Abdelrazik alleges he was tortured while in Sudanese custody.

The spy service's watchdog concluded in 2013 that CSIS based its assessment of the Montreal man on exaggerated and incomplete information.

The Liberal government reached out to his lawyer last summer in a bid to settle the lawsuit — but then abruptly cancelled the mediation, setting the stage for a trial in September.

Questions about CSIS's role

Documents disclosed as part of the case have raised questions about whether CSIS had a hand in ordering Abdelrazik's detention — and how far the spy agency went to prevent Foreign Affairs from getting him released from Sudanese custody.

Goodale told the House of Commons in question period today that he can't comment on the specifics of the case because it's before the courts.

He did say, however, that the Liberal government has brought increased scrutiny to the decisions and actions of Canada's intelligence agencies.

"In response to his questions about transparency and accountability with respect to our security agencies, we have issued new ministerial directives. We have instructed those directives to be published for the first time ever," said Goodale, who also pointed to the national security overhaul under consideration in Bill C-59.

The legislation, which is still grinding its way through Parliament, gives review bodies expanded powers and allows them to look at multiple federal departments which may be involved in security cases.

The former Security Intelligence Review Committee only had a mandate to look at the activities of CSIS and noted that it could not get the full story on Abdelrazik because it wasn't able to examine what Foreign Affairs and Transport Canada knew about the man's plight.

Canada 'abandoned' Abdelrazik: NDP

Many of the court records released in the lawsuit belong to Foreign Affairs. They show ongoing frustration among diplomats and senior consular officials who tried with limited success to win Abdelrazik's freedom after he was arrested in 2003 by security agents in Sudan.

The reports show CSIS maintained a line of communication with that country's intelligence service and routinely contradicted what diplomats were saying to the Sudanese government.

On Wednesday, the NDP demanded the Liberals return to the mediation table, saying the federal government has "abandoned" Abdelrazik.

"This Canadian has already suffered unconscionable abuse and torture at the hands of Sudanese authorities," said New Democrat MP Murray Rankin.

"Rather than work towards justice and accountability, this government has just walked away from settlement negotiations."

Amnesty International Canada has stepped up its efforts on Abdelrazik's behalf, sending a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau demanding he resolve the case.