OTTAWA, ON, May 4, 2026 /CNW/ - The 2025 Annual Report of the Intelligence Commissioner – the Honourable Simon Noël, K.C. – has been tabled in Parliament.
The Intelligence Commissioner's (IC) independent oversight 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) which are authorized by their respective ministers or the Director of CSIS. These activities may contravene Canadian laws or impact the privacy interests of Canadians and persons in Canada.
The 2025 Annual Report highlights key developments that reflect the evolving role of the IC in strengthening oversight of national security and intelligence activities:
- Record number of decisions: In 2025, the IC issued 14 decisions – the most in a single year since the position was created in 2019. New issues continue to emerge, including the agencies seeking approval for new activities and raising novel legal interpretations.
- Strengthening oversight through IC remarks: The IC made 33 remarks in 2025 decisions, raising legal and operational concerns that foster ongoing dialogue with CSE and CSIS. Both agencies continue to respond constructively, updating internal policies and practices. Notable improvements include addressing past compliance incidents and adopting the IC's recommendation to improve notification to users of federal IT systems that their personal information may be collected for cybersecurity purposes.
- Upholding the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The IC identified a novel Charter interpretation raised in a record submitted by CSIS and has requested for more detailed submissions in the future. The IC also urged CSE and CSIS to adopt a consistent legal approach to similar issues, guided by the Department of Justice. - Protecting Canadian fundamental institutions: The IC partially approved an authorization. The Minister's conclusions failed to explain how certain acts found in a proposed new class of acts or omissions that would otherwise be unlawful would comply with statutory restrictions or address potential impacts on Canadian fundamental institutions such as academia, the free press, and democratic institutions.
"Global developments in 2025 have reinforced the reality that Canada faces a complex national security and intelligence environment. While these challenges demand robust responses, they do not diminish Canadians' expectation that our national security and intelligence agencies operate within the rule of law. My 2025 Annual Report shows how my oversight continues to contribute to upholding this fundamental expectation."
- 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/annualreport.html.
Quick facts
- The activities requiring approval from the IC are critical to national security, including cybersecurity, and foreign intelligence collection. The IC reviews the ministerial conclusions in the authorization to determine whether they meet the test of "reasonableness" as recognized by Canadian courts. If so, the IC approves the ministerial authorization, and the agency can proceed with the planned activities.
- In 2025, the IC received 14 ministerial authorizations for review – 9 relating to CSE activities and 5 relating to CSIS activities. He approved the activities in 13 authorizations and partially approved the activities in 1 authorization.
- The IC's 2025 decisions included 33 remarks – comments or observations that reflect legal or factual issues of concern raised in the authorization, but that do not impact the IC's reasonableness review. Remarks are made to improve the content of future authorizations or to highlight an issue for consideration by CSE or CSIS.
- The IC's decisions are published on the website of the Office of the Intelligence Commissioner: https://www.canada.ca/en/intelligence-commissioner/decisions.html
SOURCE Office of the Intelligence Commissioner
Justin Dubois, Executive Director and General Counsel, Office of the Intelligence Commissioner, [email protected]
Share this article