Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Chuck Strahl answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 9, 2011. Strahl has been appointed to lead the body that serves as a watchdog over Canada's spy agency.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
June 14, 2012 - 3:40 PM
OTTAWA - Former Tory cabinet minister Chuck Strahl has been appointed to lead the body that serves as a watchdog over Canada's spy agency.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has named Strahl as chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee, effective immediately.
Strahl, 55, was a British Columbia MP from 1993 until 2011 and served in cabinet in the Agriculture, Indian Affairs and Transport portfolios.
He announced in 2005 that he was suffering from lung cancer brought on by exposure to asbestos years before.
He stayed active in government for another six years, although he did not run for re-election last year.
The committee was established in 1984 to review the operations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and investigate complaints against the agency.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012