Richard Proulx (RCMP officer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Proulx, is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) Assistant Commissioner. He was the head of national security investigations at RCMP headquarters in 2003 during the "Arar Affair".
, also known as the Arar Report for failing to provide these clear directions on information sharing policies
On September 25, 2003, appearing before the Canadian Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Proulx, then the RCMP Assistant Commissioner refused to discuss case with MPs.The Committee wanted to know what was the role of the RCMP in the case of Maher Arar
. The RCMP had provided information that led the United States to send Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured. Asssitant Commissioner Richard Proulx, the head of national security investigations at RCMP headquarters, had urged an official communication from the Americans that the RCMP had not that Maher Arar be sent to Syria.
On July 27, 2005, the Canadian Press reported that Proulx, the assistant commissioner of the RCMP, instructed staff to withhold important information from Canada's foreign affairs minister Bill Graham
about their investigation into Maher Arar who was tortured in a Syrian jail.
, told RCMP Inspector Michel Cabana that Toronto's Project O Canada needed a team in Ottawa to help with its investigations of an Ottawa man named Abdullah Almalki
. In response, Project A-O Canada was created. Garry Clement told Michel Cabana that the team would be working closely with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
and Central Intelligence Agency
. Later on, the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar
revealed that there were no clear directions to RCMP officers regarding how to share information with the FBI and the CIA.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) Assistant Commissioner. He was the head of national security investigations at RCMP headquarters in 2003 during the "Arar Affair".
Role in the Maher Arar case
He is the official singled out in the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher ArarCommission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar
The Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar was a public inquiry investigating the rendition and torture of Maher Arar released on September 18, 2006. The findings of this Commission are part of Report on the events Related to Maher Arar, also known...
, also known as the Arar Report for failing to provide these clear directions on information sharing policies
On September 25, 2003, appearing before the Canadian Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Proulx, then the RCMP Assistant Commissioner refused to discuss case with MPs.The Committee wanted to know what was the role of the RCMP in the case of Maher Arar
Maher Arar
Maher Arar is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who resides in Canada. Arar's story is frequently referred to as "extraordinary rendition" but the U.S. government insisted it was a case of deportation.Arar was detained during a layover at John F...
. The RCMP had provided information that led the United States to send Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured. Asssitant Commissioner Richard Proulx, the head of national security investigations at RCMP headquarters, had urged an official communication from the Americans that the RCMP had not that Maher Arar be sent to Syria.
On July 27, 2005, the Canadian Press reported that Proulx, the assistant commissioner of the RCMP, instructed staff to withhold important information from Canada's foreign affairs minister Bill Graham
Bill Graham
William Carvel "Bill" Graham, PC QC is a former Canadian politician, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Leader of the Opposition and interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Personal life:...
about their investigation into Maher Arar who was tortured in a Syrian jail.
Events
On October, 2001, Inspector Garry Clement, officer of the RCMP "A" Division in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, told RCMP Inspector Michel Cabana that Toronto's Project O Canada needed a team in Ottawa to help with its investigations of an Ottawa man named Abdullah Almalki
Abdullah Almalki
Abdullah Almalki is a Syrian-Canadian engineer who was imprisoned and tortured for two years in a Syrian jail after Canadian officials falsely indicated to the Syrian authorities and other countries that he was a terrorist threat....
. In response, Project A-O Canada was created. Garry Clement told Michel Cabana that the team would be working closely with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. Later on, the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar
Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar
The Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar was a public inquiry investigating the rendition and torture of Maher Arar released on September 18, 2006. The findings of this Commission are part of Report on the events Related to Maher Arar, also known...
revealed that there were no clear directions to RCMP officers regarding how to share information with the FBI and the CIA.
External links
- Kerry Pither Author of the book "Dark Days:The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terrorism"
- Maher Arar's official site
- "The Arar Report: The US Should Follow Canada's Lead", JURISTJURISTJURIST is an online legal news service hosted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, powered by a staff of more than 40 law students working in Pittsburgh and other US locations under the direction of founding Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Professor Bernard Hibbitts, Research Director Jaclyn...
, September 27, 2006 - "Editorial - The Unfinished Case of Maher Arar", The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, February 18, 2009 - Prism Magazine: The Security Practices Monitor