Communications Security Establishment

Part I. Values and ethics training plans

Question 1

Has your organization developed department-specific values and ethics training plans down to the divisional level?

• Yes

If not, to what level have department-specific values and ethics training plans been developed and what is your target time frame for completing this work?

N/A

Question 2

Has your organization fully implemented department-specific training plans?

• Yes

If not, what is your target time frame for completing this work?

N/A

Part II. Codes of conduct

Question 3

Has your organization reviewed its code of conduct?

• Yes, my organization has reviewed its code of conduct.

Question 4

If your organization is in the process of reviewing its code of conduct, what is your target time frame for completing the review?

The creation of Communications Security Establishment Canada’s (CSE) first Code of Conduct is on-track to be completed by June 2024. 

Question 5

If your organization has completed the review of its code of conduct, did this review lead to updates?

• Yes, my organization updated its code of conduct.

Please briefly describe the nature of any updates made (e.g., to clarify expected behaviours, to align with the emerging context, to include emerging risks) or explain why no updates were deemed necessary.

A new Code of Conduct is being developed, which will become a condition of employment for all employees. It is intended to:

• complement the CSE Ethics Charter by expanding upon its values and principles to outline specific and practical expectations for behaviour both within and outside of the workplace while factoring CSE’s unique context as a high-security organization;
• underscore the obligation to become familiar with the expected standards of conduct, understand their meaning and seek guidance when required;
• highlight the expectation that all employees demonstrate respect, professionalism and integrity every day at CSE;
• provide an overview of the expected standards of conduct that CSE employees are required to follow; more specifically, related to the way we treat each other, respectful communication, the use of internal networking tools, prevention of harassment, violence and discrimination, interactions with the public and internal/external partners, hours of work, financial management, confidentiality and exposure of information, electronic network accesses and uses, appearance and hygiene, the consumption of intoxicants, illegal drugs and smoking, personal relationships, social media use, off-duty conduct and care of use of government property and assets;
• encourage everyone to consider the potential present and long-term consequences of their actions before deciding how to proceed;
• emphasize the importance of exemplifying behaviour that is conducive to an inclusive, equitable, diverse and respectful workforce; and
• contribute to fostering a healthy, safe, and respectful workplace, while building trust among colleagues and public confidence in our organization. 

Part III. Discussions on personal accountability in upholding public service values and ethics

Question 6

What activities or actions has your organization undertaken to foster a conversation at all levels on personal accountability to uphold our public service values and ethics?

• Dedicated discussions at executive and management committee meetings
• All-staff engagements (e.g., town halls)
• Focused engagement sessions for specific functional areas (e.g., operations, finance, communications, policy, human resources)
• Focused engagement sessions on specific topics (e.g., conflicts of interest, social media, emerging technologies)
• Engagement sessions with equity groups, employee groups, networks and communities
• Inclusion in employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions
• Specific values and ethics communications campaigns

Please provide additional details on activities that you have undertaken, including those not listed above.

Dedicated discussions at executive and management committee meetings have included:

• consultations to identify required updates to CSE’s Ethics Charter (fall, 2023), followed by consultation on the proposed updates at CSE’s Executive Committee (ExCom) (spring, 2024);
• manager consultations to identify required updates to CSE’s Ethics Charter;
• conversations about the conflict-of-interest framework have been taking place at ExCom since the fall of 2022; the intention is to ensure processes are reflective of today’s work and risk environment, and are effective at preventing and mitigating apparent, potential and real conflicts of interest; and
• conversations about values and ethics training delivery across the organization, as well as other opportunities to embed values and ethics and expected behaviours into the culture (e.g., performance agreements and onboarding).

All-staff engagements have included:

• engagement and communication, including all-staff emails from the Chief, regarding the Clerk’s Task Team and the resulting Report to the Clerk, communications products and discussions highlighting CSE’s commitment to creating an ethical culture at CSE, and facilitated discussions on values and ethics at all levels;
• yearly organization-wide campaign for “Ethics Week” to emphasize personal accountability, spark discussions on values and ethics and related themes (such as ethics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), ethics and equity, diversity, inclusion), seek feedback from employees and highlight Ethics Office services, contact information and related policies on conflict of interest and disclosures of wrongdoing;
• in-house survey on values and ethics developed (not yet launched) to engage all-staff and inform our values and ethics training programs and tools; and
• “Days-of-Dialogue” hosted in May 2024 to provide employees the opportunity to share feedback on proposed Charter updates, as well as to validate responses to this self-assessment.

Focused engagement sessions for specific functional areas:

• customizable training materials are developed to facilitate delivery of values and ethics training to specific functional areas. Delivered to date this year: Security, new supervisors.

Focused engagement sessions on specific topics:

• Development and distribution of educational materials on:
  • Ethics and Artificial Intelligence (written guide and guest speaker)
  • Ethics and One CSE (equity, diversity, inclusion framework)
  • Engaging respectfully online and in person (on attending rallies, participating in political activities, and engaging on internal and external social media)

Engagement sessions with equity groups, employee groups, networks and communities, including CSE’s People and Culture governance have taken place to consult on required changes to the Charter and proposed updates, including with:

• Affinity groups (such as: Access Women Support Network, Asian Heritage, Audible Minority, Disability, EmbRACE, Indigenous Heritage, Jewish Affinity Group, Middle East and North Africa, Neurodiversity, Pride Network, Réseau franco, Women in Cyber and Intelligence)
• Consultations on the Charter and the Code of Conduct have taken place with various stakeholders, including, but not limited to:
  • Corporate Staffing
  • Ethics Office
  • Harassment and Violence Prevention Program
  • Labour Relations
  • Legal Services
  • Internal Communications
  • Privacy
  • Security

The Ethics Office updates its specific values and ethics communications campaigns each year to highlight subjects such as:

• Organizational values
• Conflict of Interest
• Disclosures of Wrongdoing
• Post-Employment
• Charitable Campaign
• Assets and Liabilities
• Political Activities

Question 7

Has your organization taken any actions to ensure that conversations on personal accountability to uphold our public service values and ethics occur on a continuing basis?

• Included as part of the onboarding process for new employees
• Incorporated in employees’ professional development and mandatory learning plans
• Integrated in career succession planning (e.g., supervisor, manager, director)

Please provide details on activities that you have undertaken, including those not listed above.

• Mandatory computer-based training on values and ethics for new employees, with annual renewal.
• In-person ethics training is provided to new supervisors and managers.
• In-person ethics training is provided to executives annually.
• Groups / teams can request customized ethics training to be delivered in-person or virtually.
• Inclusion in employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions: All Performance Agreements reference requirement to adhere to the CSE Ethics Charter as a condition of employment

Part IV. Additional information

Question 8

What recurring themes (e.g., social media, emerging technology, conflicts of interest) have emerged from conversations with employees (e.g., students, new public servants, front-line service providers, managers, executives, members of functional/horizontal communities/employee networks) across your organization?

Conflicts of interest, post-employment, social media, attending public rallies / protests, emerging technology (use of generative AI), charitable campaign / donations and fundraising, acceptance of gifts, benefits and hospitality, preferential treatment related to staffing and recruitment, personal relationships, breach of values and expected workplace behaviour and pursuing further education through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Question 9

How have you adjusted your learning activities to address recurring themes (e.g., adjusted training plans, developed specific case studies, invited expert speakers to focus on emerging themes)?

• Each year during Ethics Week, a new speaker is invited to address staff on emerging themes (2024’s theme was Ethics and Artificial Intelligence).
• New interactive scenarios and case studies are designed and tailored for in-person training sessions.
• Computer-based training module is updated on a regular basis to highlight new scenarios and provide different areas of focus.
• Communications plan is modified each year based on recurring themes to plan targeted messaging to employees on specific topics.
• In order to address some of the recurring themes, CSE chose to develop a Code of Conduct for the organization, as well as to update its Ethics Charter. Once launched, additional training will be offered to all employees regarding the Code of Conduct.

Question 10

Are there any actions or learning activities that have been particularly successful in fostering conversations within your organization (e.g., new tools, creative approaches that have resonated well with employees and managers, meeting with small groups, equipping managers to lead conversations, equipping values and ethics office/practitioners)?

• In-person ethics training with custom scenarios / case studies for the target audience (level, area of work)
• Ethics training prioritized as part of new employee on-boarding process
• Ethics training designed specifically for supervisors and managers
• Ethics Week events, including hosting a guest speaker

Question 11

What indicators will be used to measure increased employee awareness of the role of values and ethics in their daily work (e.g., Public Service Employee Survey, pulse surveys, engagement with focus groups)?

• In-house survey on values and ethics
• Staff engagement with “Days of Dialogue” on organizational values
• Public Service Employee Survey (PSES)
• Engagement with focus groups
• Metrics on conflict of interest (COI) and advice and guidance requests / files
• Data from Labour Relations files related to behaviour/conduct in the workplace
• Nature and frequency of consultations and/or notices of occurrence filed with the Harassment and Violence Prevention Program

Question 12

Will these indicators be disaggregated by identity factors?

• Yes

Question 13

Is there any additional information that you would like to share regarding your organization’s work on values and ethics (e.g., to advance particular recommendations of the Deputy Ministers’ Task Team on Values and Ethics Report)?

As a member of the Clerk’s Deputy Ministers’ Task team on Values and Ethics, many consultations hosted within and outside CSE have helped shape CSE’s next steps on values and ethics.

At both CSE facilities, there are murals depicting CSE’s values and behavioural principles; a constant reminder to staff regarding our ethical culture.

With CSE’s Ethics Charter reaching its 10^th anniversary in January 2024, discussions on modernizing the document, as well as raising organizational awareness on personal accountability have been underway since 2023. These discussions have been enhanced by the Task Team consultations, and the Prologue Report.

The CSE Ethics Office is modernizing its Ethics Charter so that it:

• meets accessibility requirements to be easier for all to access, read and understand;
• addresses relevant and current ethical dilemmas to help guide employees and management in effective ethical resolution;
• contributes, as a foundational document, to CSE’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion framework and action plan (One CSE);
• undergoes a Gender-based Analysis Plus analysis to ensure applicability to the perspectives of our diverse workforce;
• helps employees and management better understand their responsibility to avoid conflicts of interest and represent the organization and the Government of Canada ethically;
• contributes to actions towards Call to Action for Truth and Reconciliation and the Call to Action on Anti-racism, Equity and Inclusion in the public service; and
• promotes an ethical culture at CSE, creating a safe, healthy, and engaging working environment for all.