Ministerial direction to Global Affairs Canada: Avoiding complicity in mistreatment by foreign entities

Pursuant to section 2 of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, I preside over the Department, and have its management and direction in Canada and abroad. I hereby issue this Ministerial Direction.

The Government of Canada is committed to addressing threats to national security and protecting rights and freedoms. The purpose of this Direction is to clearly state Canadian values and principles against torture and mistreatment and commitment to the rule of law.

This Direction prohibits:

the disclosure of information that would result in a substantial risk of mistreatment of any individual by a foreign entity;

the making of requests for information that would result in a substantial risk of mistreatment of any individual by a foreign entity; and

certain uses of information that was likely obtained through the mistreatment of an individual by a foreign entity.

The decision-making processes for these situations are set out in annexes A, B, and C of this document.