National Security and Intelligence Review Agency

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?

• No

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

While most elements have already been implemented, it is expected that the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS)’s Values and Ethics Learning Path (as updated by the CSPS to include new learning aids such as a scenario-based Values and Ethics Discussion Toolkit) will be formally integrated into the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) Secretariat’s learning roadmaps during fiscal year 2024-2025.

Part II. Codes of conduct

Question 3

Has your organization reviewed its code of conduct?

• My organization is in the process of reviewing 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 NSIRA Secretariat was established in 2019 and its first Code of Conduct was adopted in 2021. It builds on the values from the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector having regard to the Secretariat’s mandate and activities. It is anticipated that a review of the Code of Conduct will be completed in fiscal year 2024-2025 to ensure that it continues to meet all applicable legislative and policy requirements, and to respond to organizational needs.

Question 5

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

• My organization is in the process of updating 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.

The NSIRA Secretariat is in the process of reviewing its Code of Conduct.

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.

Values and ethics have been incorporated into performance management agreements and discussions at all levels, starting with the Executive Director, through to executives and down to every employee.

At least once per year, the NSIRA Secretariat’s Human Resources send an email to all staff reminding them of their obligations under the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and the organizational Code of Conduct, of processes for disclosing wrongdoing, as well as of their obligation to submit a confidential report to guard against conflicts of interests if their situation has changed. Included in these communications are useful tools and resources, such as the CSPS’ Values and Ethics Learning Path, the Office of the Chief Human Resource Officer’s Values Alive: Discussion Guide to the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, and CSPS tools for navigating social media as a public servant.

As part of the renewed conversation on values and ethics across the public service, Human Resources also promoted the March 1, 2024 CSPS event “A Conversation with John Hannaford on Values and Ethics” organization-wide.

The NSIRA Secretariat recognizes the value in having various avenues for employee engagement on matters such as values and ethics, particularly as some individuals may not feel comfortable having candid conversations with management directly. With a view of building trust and creating safe spaces for these conversations to occur, the Honest Brokers initiative was implemented. This group consisting of three cross-sectional employees plays an intermediary role whereby employees can confidentially and informally discuss workplace issues with the Honest Brokers who may in turn support them in finding resolution and/or bring matters of a more general/systemic nature to senior management’s attention, all with the goal of fostering a positive work environment.

The NSIRA Secretariat’s Mental Health and Wellness Committee also plays an active role in fostering open conversations on such topics as values and ethics at the senior management level. For instance, the Committee was tasked by the NSIRA Secretariat’s Executive Director with reviewing the 2022 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results and making recommendations for improvement as appropriate. The Committee’s observations and recommendations, including that a member of the management team be appointed to champion values and ethics within the organization, were outlined in a report that was shared with, and discussed by, the senior management committee in the Fall of 2023.

The Committee was also instrumental in administering a Guarding Minds at Work survey and in facilitating small group discussions on five psychosocial factors identified for prioritization by employees, including organizational culture, at an all-staff retreat held in December of 2022. Observations generated by staff in the context of these discussions included that more could be done to improve access to information about values and ethics. This feedback, along with the Committee’s recommendations that managers hold periodic conversations on values and ethics with their teams and that information on values and ethics be made more readily available on the intranet, was then shared with the NSIRA Secretariat’s Executive Director.

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.

As part of the onboarding process, all new employees are required to attend an awareness session provided by the NSIRA Secretariat’s Senior Officer for Values and Ethics, Conflict of Interest and Disclosure of Wrongdoing.

Learning roadmaps developed by NSIRA Secretariat Human Resources for employees at all levels of the organization include mandatory values and ethics training. Every employee is required to complete the CSPS course Values and Ethics Foundations for Employees (FON301), while managers and executives must also complete the CSPS course Values and Ethics Foundations for Managers (FON302).

Decorum workshops developed in-house are offered as part of the NSIRA Secretariat’s Professional Development Series, to ensure that employees across all business lines are equipped to engage with Members of the Review Agency both in the day-to-day and during Members’ meetings in a professional and courteous manner.

A professionalism refresher, also developed in-house, has been delivered to all legal counsel.

Qualitative objectives pertaining to values and ethics are used in performance management agreements. Moreover, as part of the NSIRA Secretariat’s new Review Analyst and Law Practitioner development programs, which were launched in fiscal year 2023-2024, ethical practices, professionalism, and personal integrity objectives must be taken into consideration when determining whether participants are ready for progression from one level to the next, up to the supervisor role. Participants must also complete mandatory training with respect to values and ethics. 

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?

Civility and respect for people in the workplace emerged as recurring themes across the 2022 PSES results, the Guarding Minds at Work survey administered in the Fall of 2022 by the NSIRA Secretariat’s Mental Health and Wellness Committee, and exit interviews conducted over the course of fiscal year 2023-2024.

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)?

The NSIRA Secretariat retained a third-party service provider, in coordination with Health Canada’s Specialized Organizational Services, to provide training on Civility and Respect in the Workplace tailored to its institutional context and needs. Employees were canvassed via the Honest Brokers for the purpose of identifying specific topics to be covered by the course. Two sessions were delivered in February 2024, one for management and another for staff. The goal was to educate participants in recognizing risks factors in the workplace, help them implement simple and effective measures to prevent incivility, and enhance their skills in dealing with incivility in the workplace recognizing that it can also lead to harassment and violence if not addressed. This learning activity was also designed to reinforce the expected behaviours of treating every person with respect; helping create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace; and working together in a spirit of openness, honesty and transparency to encourage engagement, collaboration and respectful communication.

Building on the foundation established by these directed discussions, the NSIRA Secretariat will continue to engage with its workforce on civility and respect through regular all-staff communications, additional learning activities (e.g., harassment prevention) and by leveraging existing employee networks such as the Mental Health and Wellness and the Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) Committees

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 fiscal year 2023-2024, NSIRA established its Vision, Mission and Values further to extensive engagement with Secretariat employees and Members of the Review Agency. This was the culmination of an intentional grassroots approach to the conversation on institutional values and reflects broad consensus on the values that guide both the Review Agency and the Secretariat in their work.

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)?

The NSIRA Secretariat expects to measure employee awareness of the role that values and ethics play in their daily work using PSES and other survey results, exit interviews, and feedback received from the Mental Health and Wellness Committee and the EEDI Committee.

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)?

In response to the aforementioned survey results, the NSIRA Secretariat’s Mental Health and Wellness Committee, with support from the Senior Officer for Values and Ethics, Conflict of Interest and Disclosure of Wrongdoing, recommended that a Values and Ethics Champion be appointed to provide institutional leadership in the promotion of values and ethics through regular and intentional engagement with staff. This led to a member of the management team with a keen interest in this area to assume the role of Values and Ethics Champion in the Spring of 2024.

Although this self-assessment questionnaire focuses on public servants and not on Governor in Council appointees, the NSIRA Secretariat briefs new Members of the Review Agency on their ethical responsibilities as public office holders upon their appointment to NSIRA. They are also provided with useful resources to assist them in meeting those obligations throughout their term, such as those produced by the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. Moreover, at the request of the Chair, Members of the Review Agency as a group are provided with a yearly refresher on their ethical responsibilities as public office holders.