The Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc, and several high-ranking security officials are set to testify today, Wednesday, regarding the immigration and security screening of a father and son accused of planning a terrorist attack in Toronto.

With questions swirling around the timeline and circumstances of the accused’s arrival in Canada in the failed terrorism plot, the hearings, which are expected to last for hours on Wednesday, will see MPs pressing senior security, intelligence, immigration, and border officials on what they knew and when.

Among those scheduled to testify alongside LeBlanc are his deputy Sean Tupper, acting Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Vanessa Lloyd, interim President of the Canada Border Services Agency Ted Gallivan, and Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Brian Larkin.

While LeBlanc is set to appear for only one hour at 10 a.m. Eastern Time—having previously expressed reluctance to comment on an active criminal case—Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Harpreet S. K. Chahal will join other officials for a second hour of questioning.

This committee will be followed by a secondary meeting of two hours where additional officials from the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will be interrogated.

The father and son face multiple charges

On July 28, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested the father and son—Ahmed Didi, 62, and Mustafa Didi, 26, in Richmond Hill, Ontario—to thwart their alleged "advanced" plans to launch a "serious and violent" attack in Canada's most populous city.

The federal police force said its integrated national security enforcement team became aware of the threat earlier that month and moved to arrest the men the night after they obtained an axe and a hatchet. A raid was conducted at the men’s home in Scarborough, Ontario, on the same night they were arrested.

The two have been charged with a series of terrorism-related offenses, including conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group.

Most of the charges stem from alleged activities carried out in Canada. However, the father—who is a Canadian citizen—has also been charged with committing aggravated assault abroad in June 2015 on behalf of ISIS, with a publication ban on the case, and the charges have not been proven in court.

Following the announcement of the arrests, Global News reported—citing unnamed sources—that the aggravated assault charge against the father stems from a video showing him participating in ISIS violence abroad and that he immigrated to Canada after the footage was released. CTV News has not verified this report.

Committee members: Canadians deserve answers

Committee MPs unanimously agreed earlier this month to conduct special investigations into the case, pointing out that the Canadians involved deserve answers regarding the father's citizenship given his alleged previous links to ISIS.

MPs also expressed a desire for assurances that potential gaps in security screening with permanent residency and citizenship applications in Canada are addressed.

Among the questions that MPs will seek clarification on during today’s hearings and those to follow are when the accused first entered Canada, the immigration program through which the father entered, the date he acquired Canadian citizenship, as well as whether the government is aware of any other individuals with alleged terrorist connections living in the country.

While MPs from all parties agreed on the necessity of holding these hearings, there has been some political posturing from government and opposition MPs regarding what the investigations may reveal.

The Liberals have made efforts to suggest that the hearings may shed light on the consequences of conservative cuts that lasted nearly a decade, while the Conservatives argue that the case is just the latest example of how Canada has become less safe under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The committee has also called on Immigration Minister Marc Miller, former Public Safety Minister and current High Commissioner to the UK Ralph Goodale, and other senior agency officials to appear before it.

After the MPs declined to investigate, Miller told reporters that he was looking into the possibility of revoking the older Didi's citizenship.

The federal government has the authority to revoke citizenship if it is found that a person provided false information during the acquisition process.

As of mid-August, an internal review of the circumstances surrounding the case—including determining the timeline of the father's citizenship acquisition—was underway.