2023-2024 Departmental Plan - Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

From the Executive Director

It is my pleasure to present the 2023-24 Departmental Plan for the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. This document provides a summary of the Secretariat’s planned activities for its upcoming year of operations.

Since 2017, the Secretariat has supported the Committee in conducting nine reviews of Canada’s national security and intelligence community, covering a broad range of organizations and issues. The reviews have identified key challenges in the national security and intelligence community, and presented recommendations which are currently being implemented by the government, notably with regard to Global Affairs Canada’s national security and intelligence activities and the government’s cyber defences. The reviews have also contributed to a greater understanding of the Canadian security and intelligence community, and of issues of concern to Canadians in that realm.

The Secretariat will continue to support the Committee’s ongoing reviews, namely, the review of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Federal Policing mandate announced in February 2021, and the review related to the challenges surrounding the lawful interception of communications for security and intelligence activities announced in August 2022. We will support the Committee in developing its 2023-24 review plan and assist in the conduct of those reviews.

The Secretariat will also continue to support the Committee’s engagement with academics, non-governmental experts and other civil society representatives to ensure the Committee hears from a diverse range of perspectives. Similarly, we will continue to assist the Committee in its engagement with other Canadian review bodies, such as the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, its international counterparts, and other stakeholders.

Finally, the Secretariat will support the Committee’s engagement with Parliament on the five-year review of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act (NSICOP Act), as required by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act.

We look forward to supporting the Committee in 2023-24.

Lisa-Marie Inman
Executive Director

Plans at a glance

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians and its Secretariat were established in June 2017 by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act (the NSICOP Act). The current members have been in place since their appointment by the Prime Minister in 2022. There were two resignations in 2022; at the time of writing, neither member has been replaced.

Highlights of the Secretariat’s planned work include:

• Supporting the finalization of the Committee’s review of the Federal Policing mandate of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
• Supporting the Committee’s review of the challenges associated with the lawful interception of communications by the security and intelligence community;
• Supporting the completion of the Committee’s 2022-23 Annual Report, which will include an overview of the Committee’s activities in the past year;
• Supporting the Committee’s deliberations on its forthcoming review cycle;
• Supporting the Committee’s engagement with the security and intelligence community, international partners and stakeholders, including academics, nongovernmental organizations and civil rights actors, to help build a broader perspective on the issues facing the security and intelligence community; and
• Supporting the Committee’s engagement with Parliament on the NSICOP Act five-year review, as required by the NSICOP Act.

For more information on the plans of the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (Secretariat), see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this plan.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains information on the Secretariat’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities

Description

The core responsibility of the Secretariat is to ensure Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities in Canada thereby contributing to enhanced transparency and accountability of the national security framework.

Planning highlights

The Secretariat provides support to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians in its reviews of:

1. the legislative, regulatory, policy, administrative and financial framework for national security and intelligence;
2. any activity carried out by a department that relates to national security or intelligence, unless the activity is an ongoing operation and the appropriate Minister determines that the review would be injurious to national security; and
3. any matter relating to national security or intelligence that a minister of the Crown refers to the Committee.

Reviews

The Secretariat will assist the Committee in bringing its review of the Federal Policing mandate of the RCMP to a conclusion. As outlined in last year’s plan, this review will establish a baseline knowledge of this broad and complex mandate by examining Federal Policing programs, activities and authorities; the capabilities and results of those programs and activities; and the roles played by the RCMP’s domestic and international partners.

The Secretariat will support the Committee in its review announced in August 2022 of the challenges associated with the lawful interception of communications. This review will examine the legislative, regulatory, policy and financial framework for the lawful interception of communications for security and intelligence activities, the challenges resulting from the impact of rapidly changing and emerging technology, including the use of end-to-end encryption, and the limitations of the current framework faced with these challenges. NSICOP will also examine potential risks to the privacy rights of Canadians associated with modernizing authorities in this area.

The Secretariat will assist the Committee in developing its forthcoming review plan. As a part of this process, the Secretariat will develop review proposals for the Committee’s consideration. Once the Committee has determined which proposal(s) it wishes to proceed with, the Secretariat will draft the review’s terms of reference and request documents from departments to support the review. The Secretariat will then conduct research and analysis to develop the review(s) for the Committee’s consideration and approval. The Secretariat will also organize briefings and appearances with members of the security and intelligence community and other stakeholders, as required.

The Secretariat will assist the Committee in the completion of its 2022-23 Annual Report. This report will contain an overview of the Committee’s work in 2022-2023, including the reviews that it completed.

Engagement

The Secretariat will support the Committee’s engagement with Parliament for the five-year review of the NSICOP Act. Under section 34 of the NSICOP Act, a comprehensive review of the provisions and operation of the NSICOP Act is to be conducted by one or both houses of Parliament. The Secretariat will work to ensure the Committee is prepared for the review.

Throughout the year, the Secretariat will facilitate the Committee’s engagement with national security and intelligence stakeholders, including its international counterparts. Additionally, the Secretariat will organize briefings with senior officials within Canada’s security and intelligence community on subjects pertinent to the Committee’s work. The Secretariat will also support the Committee’s engagement with academics, non-governmental organizations and civil society actors to help build a broader perspective on the issues facing the security and intelligence community. The Secretariat will continue to develop relations with other organizations that review national security and intelligence in Canada, notably the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.

Key risk(s)

The NSICOP Act sets out the Committee’s right of access to information held by the government and the limitations to that right of access, including information that constitutes a confidence of the King’s Privy Council for Canada. In its most recently tabled review, the Special Report on the National Security and Intelligence Activities of Global Affairs Canada, the Committee raised a serious issue with respect to the government's broad claims of Cabinet confidence on documents or information. The Committee registered its concern that the breadth of the definition of Cabinet confidence reflected in its statute and found in s. 39(2) of the Canada Evidence Act, together with the lack of a requirement for departments to inform the Committee of how many and which relevant documents are being withheld and on what basis, may hamper its ability and the Secretariat’ ability to properly fulfil their mandates. The Secretariat will continue its discussions with PCO to mitigate this risk.

In addition, the Committee is most effective when its full complement of members is in place. Delays in appointment of members who have resigned creates a risk that the Committee and its Secretariat are unable to conduct and complete reviews in a timely manner.

Planned results for Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities

The following table shows, for Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

The 2021-22 annual report was delayed due to the election in 2021. The Secretariat will also seek to amend this performance measure to move its target date to the end of the fiscal year, thus enabling reporting on the entirety of the calendar year.

The financial, human resources and performance information for the Secretariat’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned budgetary spending for Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities

The following table shows, for Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Secretariat’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Secretariat’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Internal services: planned results

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

The Secretariat’s contracting is conducted through the memorandum of understanding with the Privy Council Office. That said, the Secretariat has sought to support Indigenous businesses where possible, for example, in its purchasing of office supplies.

Planned budgetary spending for internal services

The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Planned human resources for internal services

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to carry out its internal services for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023–24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2020–21 to 2025–26

The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.

Spending in previous years was lower than forecast due, in large part, to the adoption of health measures to counter the pandemic, which caused the Committee to hold fewer meetings, or in some circumstances, to the absence of the Committee due to the call of Federal elections

In 2022-23, Secretariat spending increased from the previous year as Committee meetings resumed in person with associated costs for hospitality and simultaneous translation. However, spending was lower than forecast due to limitations on travel and unexpected gaps in personnel in the Secretariat.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of the Secretariat’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and other relevant fiscal years.

The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ funding profile remains relatively consistent on a yearly basis. Year over year variances are primarily due to reduced costs of Committee meetings and reduced travel during the COVID pandemic.

Planned human resources

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of the Secretariat’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and the other relevant years.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

In the 2021-22 fiscal year, the Secretariat operated with regular vacancies due to regular turnover within the organization. The Secretariat also hired full-time counsel in July 2021 (internal services). The Secretariat has recently conducted additional staffing competitions to ensure that it has a full staff complement of 10 full-time equivalents in 2023-24 and thereafter.

Estimates by vote

Information on the Secretariat’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2023–24 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the Secretariat’s operations for 2022–23 to 2023–24.

The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, are available on the Secretariat’s website.

Future oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2024 (dollars)

Corporate information

Organizational profile

• Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Mark Holland, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
• Institutional head: Lisa-Marie Inman
• Ministerial portfolio: Privy Council Office
• Enabling instrument(s): National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act
• Year of incorporation / commencement: 2017

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

The Secretariat’s core responsibility consists of assisting the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians in fulfilling its mandate as outlined in section 8(1) of the NSICOP Act, which is to review:

• The legislative, regulatory, policy, administrative and financial framework for national security and intelligence;
• Any activity carried out by a department that relates to national security or intelligence, unless the activity is an ongoing operation and the appropriate Minister determines that the review would be injurious to national security; and
• Any matter relating to national security or intelligence that a minister of the Crown refers to the Committee.

The Secretariat ensures the Committee receives timely access to relevant, classified information and strategic and expert advice in the exercise of Committee reviews. It assists in the development of Committee reports and provides support to ensure compliance with security requirements.

From a corporate accountability perspective and as required by section 3 of the NSICOP Act, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is the designated Minister responsible for the Secretariat.

Information on the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ raison d’être, mandate and role is available on the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ website.

Operating context

The establishment of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians addressed an important gap in the review of Canada’s security and intelligence community. Review in Canada previously centred on specific organizations and did not contemplate wider issues. The specialized review apparatus focused individually on the activities of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Communications Security Establishment and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. No entity previously had the authority, mandate or capacity to ‘follow the thread’ of how information was shared and used or to review an issue, activity or case across those organizations or in the government more broadly.

The siloed nature of the review apparatus in Canada meant that there was no review across the broader federal government to other organizations with security and intelligence responsibilities. Furthermore, specialized review bodies primarily examined the legal compliance of activities but could not conduct strategic or framework reviews of the security and intelligence community as a whole. Moreover, unlike its closest allies, Canada did not have a parliamentary or legislative review body with access to classified information that could examine national security and intelligence organizations.

The establishment of the Committee in 2017 and the subsequent creation of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency in 2019 address these gaps. Both review bodies may conduct reviews of any organization with a security and intelligence mandate; may follow the thread of information or investigations across organizations; and review issues from an interdepartmental lens. The review bodies have complementary mandates: the Committee’s mandate is to conduct high-level strategic or framework reviews and enables Parliamentarians to scrutinize the security and intelligence activities of the state, while the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency’s mandate is focused on legal compliance reviews.

Information on the operating context is available on the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ website.

Reporting framework

The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2023–24 are as follows.

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarian’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The Secretariat has no supplementary information tables to include.

Federal tax expenditures

The Secretariat’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government‑wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.

Organizational contact information

• Mailing address
  Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians
  P.O. Box 8015, Station “T”
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1G 5A6
• Email: generalinquiries-renseignementsgeneraux@nsicop-cpsnr.gc.ca
• Website(s): National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A document that sets out a department’s priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department’s actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.

full time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2023–24 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the Government’s agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.

high impact innovation (innovation à impact élevé)

High impact innovation varies per organizational context. In some cases, it could mean trying something significantly new or different from the status quo. In other cases, it might mean making incremental improvements that relate to a high-spending area or addressing problems faced by a significant number of Canadians or public servants.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within a department and that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

An inventory of a department’s programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department’s core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.

result (résultat)

An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead, they are within the area of the organization’s influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.