ARCHIVED - Security Intelligence Review Committee

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
• Next Page

This page has been archived.

Section II - Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

SIRC has only one strategic outcome, described below. In realizing this outcome, the Committee seeks to ensure that CSIS acts within the law.

This outcome is important to Canadians because it helps to protect their fundamental rights and freedoms. In effect, SIRC is a cornerstone for ensuring the democratic accountability of one of the Government of Canada's most secretive organizations.

Strategic Outcome

SIRC has one strategic outcome for both of its program activities, namely that the Parliament of Canada and through it, Canadians, are assured that the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) is complying with the law, policy and Ministerial direction in the performance of its duties and functions.

Program Activity #1: Reviews of CSIS Activities

Financial Resources

Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
$1.9	$1.9	$1.8

Human Resources (FTEs)

Planned	Authorities	Actuals
14	14	13

The purpose of the Review Program is to conduct reviews of CSIS activities to ensure compliance with law, policy and Ministerial direction. The expected result is improvements to CSIS operational policy and procedures, based on the findings and recommendations which SIRC makes in its reviews.

The CSIS Act grants SIRC virtually unlimited power to review CSIS's performance of its duties and functions. The only exception to this power is Cabinet confidences. SIRC has absolute authority to examine all information concerning CSIS's activities, no matter how highly classified that information may be.

The Committee examines CSIS's performance on a retrospective basis, that is to say, it examines the past activities of the Service. The Service continues at all times to be accountable for current operations through the existing apparatus of government, specifically the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Inspector General of CSIS, central agencies, the Auditor General, Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

The review process begins with the Committee's approval of a research plan for the year. The subject matters outlined in the plan and the allocation of resources remain flexible so that the Committee can respond to unforeseen events. Once the plan is approved, resources are allocated for each review. A typical review involves hundreds of staff hours dedicated over several months. Staff review thousands of pages of hard copy and electronic documentation from CSIS. Briefings from and interviews with CSIS staff form part of the review, as do field visits whenever a review involves a CSIS regional office or SLO post abroad.

A report on the results of the review, always a classified document, is presented to the Committee at one of its monthly meetings. Follow-up work on the study may be undertaken in accordance with direction from the Committee. The reviews can include findings and recommendations. Copies of the finalized report are provided to the Director of CSIS and to the Inspector General of CSIS, who works inside the Minister of Public Safety's department, Public Safety Canada. Finally, a summary with all classified information removed, is included in the Committee's annual report to Parliament.

SIRC's research program is designed to address a broad range of CSIS's duties and functions. This approach allows the Committee to manage the inherent risk of being able to review only a small percentage of CSIS activities in any single year. Thus, over the course of several years, SIRC is able to examine a significant number of CSIS's investigations and functions. The Committee must always be prepared to adjust the research program to address unforeseen events.

In selecting reviews for this fiscal year, SIRC took into consideration domestic and world events; issues, priorities and concerns identified by Canadians and Parliament; past reviews; issues identified previously by the Committee; matters of interest identified in complaints investigations; and existing and emerging CSIS activities.

SIRC's review of CSIS activities is an ongoing activity which includes salary costs and training for staff, the annual report to Parliament, monthly meetings attended by Committee Members, their travel expenses and per diems. It also includes ground transportation on a nearly daily basis between SIRC's offices in the Jackson Building and CSIS headquarters.

Several performance measurements have been developed for reviews. One measure is whether the research plan approved by the Committee at the beginning of the fiscal year is completed in its entirety. In fiscal 2006-2007, SIRC undertook nine reviews, two of which were being finalized at year's end, including a s.54 report to the Minister of Public Safety of Public Safety.

In addition, SIRC Committee Members and senior staff visited two CSIS regional offices. This provided the Committee with an opportunity to explore the day-to-day work of investigators in the field and to better understand the priorities and challenges of regional offices. Committee Members met with senior CSIS staff, received briefings on regional issues and communicated the Committee's focus and concerns. The Committee also reviewed one Security Liaison Officer (SLO) post abroad. CSIS maintains a number of these posts outside Canada. The primary focus of SIRC's review of SLO posts is to monitor the Service's information-sharing with foreign agencies.

Other performance measures include follow-up with CSIS to identify whether they have acted on the recommendations contained in SIRC's reviews; the number and scope of reviews relative to resources; how frequently different aspects of CSIS operations are reviewed, given that SIRC cannot review each on an annual basis; and feedback on the quality of reviews from those who receive them.

Program Activity #2: Complaints

Financial Resources

Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
$1.0	$1.0	$0.8

Human Resources (FTEs)

Planned	Authorities	Actuals
7	7	6

The purpose of the Complaints Program is to investigate complaints and conduct investigations in relation to:

• complaints "with respect to any act or thing done by the Service" as described in the CSIS Act;
• complaints about denials of security clearances to federal government employees and contractors;
• referrals from the Canadian Human Rights Commission in cases where the complaint relates to the security of Canada; and
• Minister of Public Safety's reports in respect of the Citizenship Act.

The Committee has no control over the number of complaints it receives in any given year. It also has a statutory responsibility to respond promptly to every complaint. The volume, complexity and sensitivity can have a significant impact on SIRC's capacity to fulfill its mandate. Small changes in the number of complaints can significantly affect the Committee's budget and operations. In 2006-2007, the were 37 new complaints, compared to 45 in 2005-2006.

The complaints program activity includes salary costs and training for staff, complaints hearings presided over by Members, their travel expenses and per diems, as well as costs for simultaneous translation, court reporters, plus funding to obtain outside legal advice.

One measure of the program's effectiveness is whether or not the Committee's decisions are subsequently appealed to the Federal Court. No decisions were appealed to the Federal Court in 2006-2007. SIRC has also adopted a standard that all written complaints are formally acknowledged within seven days of their receipt and that within 60 days, all formal complaints should either be resolved to the complainant's satisfaction, determined to be without foundation and closed, or elevated to the status of an in-depth Committee investigation.

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
• Next Page