Irwin Cotler, a former federal justice minister and former special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism, confirmed to CTV News that he is under 24-hour security protection, but would not say why.

The Globe and Mail reported last week that Cotler was under police protection “because of a threat to his life," without getting into the specifics of which organization or country may have posed the threat.

CTV News Channel’s Power Play host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview Tuesday, asked Cotler whether the reports were true, and what prompted the need for around-the-clock security.

“I don't know what it's connected to, as I said, they should speak to the RCMP about it,” he said. “The report is correct, that I do have a security protection but I haven’t spoken about it.”

Cotler added that he’s receiving “excellent protection,” and that he feels “safe.”

"For the safety of those we protect and of our members, as well as to ensure the integrity of operations, the RCMP does not disclose information related to protective measures, nor confirm individuals who may receive protection," reads an RCMP statement sent to CTVNews.ca.

Cotler is also the founder and chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.

Earlier in the day Tuesday, Cotler and other advocates for as well as loved ones of the people taken hostage by Hamas held a press conference on Parliament Hill to call for their “immediate and unconditional release.”

Cotler told Kapelos that the rescue of hostages is “a humanitarian imperative of the first order,” also calling it a “moral” and “legal imperative.”

“Every day that these hostages are kept captive by Hamas is a standing crime against humanity,” he said.

Cotler — who was in Israel on Oct. 7 during the Hamas attacks — also discussed his calls for targeted sanctions against certain members of Hamas. He wants to see the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a brand of the Iranian Armed Forces, designated a terrorist organization. This is a call the federal Conservatives have also made.

You can watch Cotler’s full interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET or in the video player at the top of this article.