Conservatives call for House probe into case of two men charged with terrorism offences
Conservatives raising concerns about immigration system and security screening
Conservative MPs are calling on the House public safety committee to investigate the case of a father and son in Toronto charged with multiple terrorism-related offences.
Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested last month and face a total of nine charges. They face one count each of conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group — namely ISIS, a Sunni Muslim militant organization.
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer told reporters Tuesday his party has questions about the immigration screening process for both men.
"For Canadians to have confidence in our immigration system, we need to know that in every case, in every application, the due diligence and proper screening is done. Clearly that was not done in this situation and lives were almost lost," he said.
The Conservative push for a committee probe comes after Global News reported over the weekend that Ahmad Fouad Mostafa Eldidi had taken part in an assault shown in a video released by ISIS before he immigrated to Canada. Global's report cites anonymous sources. CBC News hasn't verified the existence of the video.
A charge sheet does allege that Ahmad Fouad Mostafa Eldidi committed an aggravated assault for the benefit of the Islamic State in 2015 somewhere outside of Canada, but doesn't offer further details.
When asked Tuesday if he had seen the video for himself, Scheer said he had only seen public reports about the incident.
RCMP Supt. James Parr said during a press conference last week that both men are Canadian citizens. The RCMP later clarified that only the father has Canadian citizenship.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday evening, the offices of Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Immigration Minister Marc Miller accused the Official Opposition of playing politics.
"The Conservatives would rather risk undoing the tremendous work of our security agencies just to score a few political points," they said.
"The people who work tirelessly to keep Canadians safe deserve better from their elected representatives."
The ministers' statement says the RCMP have shared what they can so far.
"We will leave it to them to do their work and ensure that those who would seek to threaten the safety of our country be held responsible for their actions," they said.
Scheer said he's not worried about a committee probe interfering with the police investigation or court proceedings and insisted MPs would focus on concerns about Canada's immigration system.
"For Canadians to find out that their own government let in someone associated with ISIS and granted them citizenship, it's entirely appropriate for the government to answer for that," he said.
A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said the organization can't comment on individual cases.
"What we can tell you is that security screening of foreign nationals is a joint collaboration between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), CSIS and the CBSA," said Luke Reimer in an email.
"CBSA screening decisions are based on the information available at a moment in time."
Scheer said the committee should hear from LeBlanc and government officials who approved the elder Eldidi's immigration application. He called on the NDP and Bloc Québécois to support the Conservatives' proposal.
NDP public safety critic Alistair MacGregor said Wednesday he supports the proposal to get the committee to look into the case.
"Reports of a terrorism plot in Ontario, thankfully thwarted by the RCMP, have Canadians anxious that a community was narrowly saved from a potentially deadly attack, and rightfully upset that a man with alleged links to a foreign terrorist group was not only allowed to enter Canada but given Canadian citizenship," he said in a media statement.
Two men set to appear in court Wednesday
The father and son were arrested on July 28 in a hotel room in Richmond Hill, Ont., after a month-long investigation that involved multiple police services, RCMP say.
The alleged attack was going to target Toronto, Parr said, though the exact nature of the threat falls under a publication ban. Parr said there is no ongoing threat to residents of the city.
The pair also face weapons charges related to possession of an axe and a machete; police say they had the weapons with them at the hotel when they were arrested.
The two men made a brief court appearance last week and are expected back in court on Wednesday.
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