ARCHIVED - Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner - Report

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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Strategic Outcome

The strategic outcome of the Office is that the Communications Security Establishment Canada performs its duties and functions in accordance with the laws of Canada. This includes safeguarding the privacy of Canadians.

The following section describes the office's program activities and identifies the expected results, performance indicators and targets for each of them. This section also explains how the office plans on meeting the expected results and presents the financial and non-financial resources that will be dedicated to each program activity.

This section will contain a discussion of the office's two Program Activities:

• Review Program
• Internal Services

Additional information on the office's operations, methodology and results can be found on the Commissioner's website (www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca).

Program Activity by Strategic Outcome

Program Activity: Review Program

The review program includes research, monitoring, planning, the conduct of reviews and the reporting of results. In addition, it also includes consultations and communications with CSEC officials, with other government officials, and senior representatives of the security and intelligence community.    

Program Activity : Review Program

Human Resources and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
Staff	Planned Spending	Staff	Planned Spending	Staff	Planned Spending
8	1,358	9	1,358	9	1,358

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Reviews are completed within targeted time frames as established by the Commissioner	% of reviews completed within targeted time frames	80%
Recommendations resulting from the reviews conducted are accepted and implemented	% of recommendations implemented	80%
Negative findings addressed	% of negative findings addressed	80%

Planning Highlights

In order to achieve the expected result, the office plans to undertake the following activities:

• The Commissioner remains prepared to speak to amendments to the National Defence Act when they are introduced.  
• The office will strengthen its review process by:
  • continuing to examine the risk assessment process for selecting and prioritizing areas and activities for review;
  • updating and revising its operational policies and practices to improve the quality of its review process in order to ensure that its findings and recommendations are accurate, fair, complete and supportable;
  • updating its performance measurement framework and refine its performance targets to ensure that the quality of performance can be measured and, where appropriate, adjusted as required;
  • expanding the capacity of the review process by adding an additional full-time review employee.
• A pre-requisite to the effectiveness of the office's review process and the successful discharge of its mandate is a professional, tough but fair relationship with CSEC. Briefings, presentations, training, information sessions, roundtables will be continued between the two organizations.
• In early 2011-12, meetings and preparations will begin in earnest for the next International Intelligence Review Agencies Conference (IIRAC), which Canada is hosting in the spring of 2012. The office will be contributing substantially to the conference which is a major forum for the discussion of issues of mutual interest and concern, and the sharing of best practices in review methodologies.

Benefits for Canadians

The office's review program activity supports the Commissioner in his ability to provide assurance to the Minister and through him to Parliament and to all Canadians that the activities undertaken by CSEC are in compliance with the law and that the privacy of Canadians has been safeguarded. If not CSEC does not comply with the law, the Commissioner is required by legislation to inform the Minister and the Attorney General.

Program Activity: Internal Services

Internal Services are those operations and resources that support the needs of the office's review program and respond to the requirements of the central agencies. These operations include administration, human resources, finance, security, information management, and information technology.

Program Activity: Internal Services

Human Resources and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2011–12		2012–13		2013–14
Staff	Planned Spending	Staff	Planned Spending	Staff	Planned Spending
2	750	2	750	2	750

Planning Highlights

The office is a micro agency, with 9 staff and a budget of slightly in excess of $2 million. With only 2 staff devoted to internal services, several of the corporate services that are not required on a full-time basis are outsourced. These corporate services include human resources, security, and informatics. It is important that the office maintains a management framework that ensures that all the internal services are effectively provided to the Commissioner and to the review program.  

Beyond providing effective and internal services to the Office's management, the Office must comply with the central agency policies and directives. This includes, in addition to the ongoing requirements, the new directives on expenditure initiation and commitment control, on delegation of financial authorities for disbursements, the new policy on internal control, and the new requirements for quarterly reporting and for future-oriented financial statements. These responsibilities require the Office to recruit, retain and train corporate staff to provide a wide scope of duties and responsibilities in order that internal services are provided in a timely and cost effective manner.

In order to meet and keep up with the ever changing internal services environment, the office plans to undertake the following activities:

• define more clearly roles and responsibilities for all internal services;
• provide for training programs for staff to ensure that all internal services can be delivered effectively, efficiently and in compliance with the requirements of the central agencies;
• create and/or update administrative policies and procedures;
• establish a performance measurement framework to adequately address the delivery of internal services;
• work closely with PWGSC to ensure that additional office space and fit-up is completed during 2011-12.

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