The federal budget due on Tuesday is expected to allocate additional resources to help security agencies like the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to carry out greater responsibilities associated with the Conservative government’s proposed anti-terrorism legislation.
National security is going to be among the main themes of the budget, according to sources interviewed by the Canadian Press.
Earlier, it was reported that the government is preparing to spend as much as $100 million to protect its computer systems against cyber attacks.
Bill C-51, the anti-terrorism bill introduced by the Conservatives last October, would provide CSIS with the authority covertly interfere with Web sites of radical groups, disrupt bank transactions and suspect travel plans of suspects.
The bill will also allow the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to obtain a peace bond to restrict the movement of suspects and increase the amount of time suspects be placed under preventive custody. The screening of international flight manifests will be handed over to the federal government under an expanded no-fly list regime.
There are also plans to establish a system to track people when they leave Canada as a means to prevent them from joining foreign conflicts.