Committee overview: Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security: Main Estimates 2026-2027 (May 28, 2026)

SECU Committee overview

Committee Members

About the Committee

SECU was created on April 5, 2006, at the start of the 39th Parliament. The Committee is responsible for one of the largest departmental portfolios, including close to 140 statutes administered by the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and its agencies, including the CBSA.

Committee Mandate

SECU reviews the legislation, policies, programs and expenditure plans of government departments and agencies responsible for public safety and national security, policing and law enforcement, corrections and conditional release of federal offenders, emergency management, crime prevention and the protection of Canada's borders.

The Standing Orders of the House of Commons provide that the committee may review and report on:

• Legislation proposed by the government or Members of Parliament
• Immediate, medium- and long-term expenditure plans, and the effectiveness of their implementation by the department
• An analysis of the relative success of the relevant department, as measured by the results obtained as compared with its stated objectives
• Other matters relating to the mandate, management, organization, or operation of the department in question, as the Committee deems fit

The committee examines the policies, programs and statutes relating to the following departments and agencies:

• Public Safety Canada (PS)
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
• Correctional Service Canada (CSC)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
• Parole Board of Canada (PBC)
• Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC)
• RCMP External Review Committee (ERC)
• Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI)

CBSA-related Studies (45th Parliament)

• Growing Problem of Car Thefts in Canada (Update on Implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Auto Theft)
  • Report 1 - Fighting the phenomenon of vehicle thefts in Canada
• Mandate and Priorities of the Minister of Public Safety
• Canada-United States Border Management
• Foreign Nationals (Removals)
• H2O Highway Corridor and Port Clearance Practices

CBSA-related Legislation (45th Parliament)

Bill C-12, An Act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures

Committee Members biographies

Jean Yves Duclos (Chair)

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Québec Centre

• Former cabinet minister (Health, Procurement, Treasury Board, Families and Children)
• First elected 2015, re-elected in 2019, 2021, 2025
• Formerly head of Economics department at Laval University
• As former cabinet member, he is well acquainted with high-profile files, particularly those involving procurement and transparency in contracting and spending decisions

Frank Caputo (Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Kamloops – Thompson – Nicola
Shadow Minister for Public Safety

• Previously worked as Crown Prosecutor and Law Professor
• First elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2025
• Previous committee memberships:
  • SECU (April to September 2024)
  • ACVA (December 2021 to October 2022)
  • ETHI (September 2024 to January 2025)
  • JUST (October 2022 to April 2024)
• Member of several interparliamentary groups
• Legal background provides strong footing in oversight of law enforcement, corrections, and security policy
• Interests: Bail reform, child predators

Claude DeBellefeuille (Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Bloc Québécois
Constituency: Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon
Critic for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (since 2025)

• Profession/Occupation: Social worker, Chief of Staff in Quebec provincial government
• First elected in 2006 and served until 2011, then re-elected in 2019, 2021, and 2025
• Served as party's Chief Whip (2019 to 2024), was previously critic for Canadian Heritage and Natural Resources (2006 to 2008)
• From a border community, supports border security and resources for border officers, including off-site patrolling, and exit controls

Sima Acan

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Oakville West

• First elected in April 2025
• First Canadian MP of Turkish descent
• Holds an engineering degree, immigrated in 2007
• Entrepreneur: owns a local robotics company and served as president of the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations
• Brings a community-focused, tech-savvy lens to public safety and security discussions
• Has called for faster convictions and smarter crime prevention measures

Anthony Housefather

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Mount Royal
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience Liberal

• First elected in April 2025
• Holds a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Bachelor of Laws from McGill University, and a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University's John Molson School of Business
• Serves as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience
• Previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour
• Served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights
• Served as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Jewish Community Issues and Antisemitism and is co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force on Online Antisemitism

Ali Ehsassi

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Willowdale

• First elected in 2015; re-elected in 2019, 2021, and 2025
• Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade
• Previously Chair of the Foreign Affairs committee; has also served on INDU, ETHI, JUST, and CIMM
• Father was Iranian diplomat and worked in Iran's embassy in Switzerland, family left Iran during Iranian Revolution
• Opposes the Iranian government and has called for a public inquiry into potential Iranian interference in Canadian elections

Rhonda Kirkland

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Oshawa

• First elected in April 2025
• Worked for twenty years as certified educational therapist and local childhood development advocate
• Helped advance federal legislation related to victims' rights and human trafficking
• Active community member with volunteer roles in local Rotary Club and numerous political campaigns, including that of her MP predecessor Colin Carrie

Dane Lloyd

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Parkland, Alberta
Shadow Minister for Emergency Preparedness and Community Resilience

• First elected in 2017, re-elected in 2019, 2021 and 2025
• Former Shadow Minister for:
  • Digital Government (September 2020 to February 2021)
  • Rural Economic Development (February 2021 to November 2021)
• Holds a BA in History & Political Science and serves as a Captain in the Canadian Army Reserve
• Has spoken out about safe supply program
• Prior to recent revision, his riding included Villeneuve Airport (airport of entry)

Marcus Powlowski

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Thunder Bay—Rainy River

• First elected in 2019
• Represents a riding along the border
• Previously served on the Standing Committee on Health, the Standing Committee on National Defence, and the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs
• Before being elected, he worked as an Emergency Room physician in Thunder Bay for 15 years and spent seven years practicing medicine in developing countries
• Known for his advocacy in health, including drafting a private member's bill on forced labour in supply chains that was merged into Bill S-211
• In addition to being a medical doctor, he has two law degrees - LL.B, LL.M from the universities of Toronto and Georgetown, respectively. He also attended Harvard University and obtained a Masters of Public Health in Health Law and Policy

Jacques Ramsay

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: La Prairie—Atateken
Parliamentary Secretary to Public Safety Minister

• First elected in April 2025
• Has been a doctor since 1987, and has worked in several countries, and then in Montreal in various specialties
• Serves as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety

Marianne Dandurand

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Compton—Stanstead

• First elected in April 2025
• Also serves on the Standing Committees on Agriculture and Agri-Food
• Holds a bachelor's degree in applied politics and a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the Université de Sherbrooke
• Worked as a journalist at La Tribune in Sherbrooke
• Taught statistical analysis at the Université de Sherbrooke
• Worked over fifteen years in the tourism industry as an entrepreneur in market research specializing in analyzing the economic impact of events
• Served as chief of staff to former federal ministers Marie-Claude Bibeau (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and Élisabeth Brière (National Revenue)
• Elected Chair of the Liberal Rural Caucus

Amandeep Sodhi

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Brampton Centre

• First elected in April 2025
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration
• Holds a bachelor's degree in political science from King's University College at the University of Western Ontario
• Worked a legal assistant
• Is one of the first Members of Parliament born in the 21st century