Report on the activities of the Intelligence Commissioner tabled in Parliament

OTTAWA, ON, May 6, 2024 /CNW/ - The 2023 Annual Report of the Intelligence Commissioner has been tabled in Parliament. It is the Honourable Simon Noël's second report since his appointment as Intelligence Commissioner in October 2022.

The Intelligence Commissioner's mandate is to approve – or not approve – certain national security and intelligence activities planned by the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

These agencies may sometimes engage in activities that could involve breaking the laws of Canada or interfere with the privacy interests of Canadians. Any activities of this kind must first be authorized in writing by the minister responsible for the agency involved or, in some cases, by the Director of CSIS. The ministerial authorization must include the conclusions – effectively the reasons – supporting the activities that are being authorized.

The Intelligence Commissioner reviews the ministerial conclusions to determine whether they meet the test of "reasonableness" as recognized by Canadian courts. If so, the Intelligence Commissioner approves the ministerial authorization, and the agency can proceed with the planned activities.

In 2023, the Intelligence Commissioner issued 13 decisions – the most since the role was established in 2019. He approved the activities in 8 authorizations, partially approved the activities in 4 authorizations, and did not approve the activities in one authorization.

"With this report, I reaffirm my commitment to public transparency, with an added emphasis on providing details about the role and work of the Intelligence Commissioner. I hope it contributes to your confidence that your rights and interests are being considered and protected when it comes to national security and intelligence activities."

-  The Honourable Simon Noël, K.C.
  Intelligence Commissioner

The annual report is available on the Office of the Intelligence Commissioner's website: https://www.canada.ca/en/intelligence-commissioner.html.

SOURCE Office of the Intelligence Commissioner

For questions relating to this report, please communicate with: Justin Dubois, Executive Director and General Counsel, Office of the Intelligence Commissioner, [email protected]