Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ 2024-25 Departmental results report
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© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister, The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, 2025
Catalogue Number: CP100-2E-PDF
ISSN: 2561-9837
Aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Rapport sur les résultats ministériels 2024-2025
At a glance
This departmental results report details the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results outlined in its 2024–25 Departmental Plan.
Key priorities
The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians identified the following key priorities for 2024-25:
- Supporting the completion of the Committee’s review of the Foreign Interference in Canada’s Democratic Processes;
- 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 2023-24 Annual Report, which will include an overview of the Committee’s activities in the past year;
- Supporting the Committee’s deliberations on its forward review plan;
- Supporting the Committee’s engagement with the security and intelligence community, international partners and stakeholders, including academics, non-governmental organizations and civil rights groups, 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 National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act (NSICOP Act) five-year review.
Highlights for the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians in 2024-25
- Total actual spending (including internal services): $3,093,354
- Total full-time equivalent staff (including internal services): 8.4
For complete information on the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ total spending and human resources, read the Spending and human resources section of its full departmental results report.
Summary of Results
The following provides a summary of the results the department achieved in 2024-25 under its main areas of activity, called “core responsibilities.”
Core responsibility 1: Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities
- Actual spending: $1,789,493
- Actual full-time equivalent staff: 6.8
The Committee’s annual report was delivered to the Prime Minister on March 4, 2025.
The Committee’s annual report complies with legislative requirements.
For more information on the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities read the ‘Results – what we achieved” section of its departmental results report.
From the Minister
The Honourable Steven MacKinnon
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
It is my pleasure to present the 2024-25 Departmental Results Report for the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. This report summarizes the Secretariat’s results in the last fiscal year.
Since its establishment in 2017, the Secretariat has supported the Committee in completing fourteen reviews of Canada’s national security and intelligence community covering a broad range of organizations and issues.
In 2024-2025, the Secretariat supported the Committee in completing its 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports, Special Report on Foreign Interference in Canada’s Democratic Processes and Institutions, Special Report on the Lawful Access to Communications by Security and Intelligence organizations, and in initiating a review on the role of the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister.
The Secretariat also briefed two new Committee members on their roles and responsibilities, as well as the work completed to date, and ensure that required security measures were completed.
These are highlights of the Secretariat of the NSICOP’s achievements over the past year. I invite you to read more about the department’s results.
Results – what we achieved
Core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibility 1: Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities
In this section
Description
The core responsibility of the Secretariat is to support the review by Parliamentarians of national security and intelligence activities in Canada thereby contributing to enhanced transparency and accountability of the national security framework.
Quality of life impacts
The domain that relates most closely to the core responsibility is “Good governance,” with the indicator “Confidence in institutions.”
Progress on results
This section details the department’s performance against its targets for each departmental result under Core responsibility 1: Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities.
Table 1: Targets and results for Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities
Table 1 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and the actual result for each indicator under the Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities in the last three fiscal years.
| Departmental Result Indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | Actual Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Committee’s annual report delivered to the Prime Minister on or before 31 December each year. | The Committee’s annual report must be delivered to the Prime Minister by 31 December. This report must meet the requirements of subsection 21(1) of the NSICOP Act. | December 31, 2024 | Report delivered to the Prime Minister for:
|
| Committee’s annual report complies with legislative requirements. |
The Results section of the Infographic for the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians on GC Infobase page provides additional information on results and performance related to its program inventory.
Details on results
The following section describes the Secretariat’s results in 2024–25 compared with the planned results set out in its departmental plan for the year.
Enhancing transparency and accountability of the national security framework
Results achieved:
- The Committee’s 2024 annual report was delivered to the Prime Minister on March 4, 2025.
- The Committee’s annual report complies with legislative requirements.
Key risks
The NSICOP Act sets out the Committee’s right of access to information held by the government and the limitations on that right of access, including information that constitutes a confidence of the King’s Privy Council for Canada. In previous reviews and annual reports, the Committee highlighted its concern that the breadth of the definition of Cabinet confidence reflected in its statute and found in subsection 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 to properly fulfil its mandate. This risk applies equally to the Secretariat’s ability to assist the Committee in fulfilling its mandate. The Secretariat continued to work throughout the redaction process and in its discussions with PCO to mitigate this risk.
Resources required to achieve results
Table 2: Snapshot of resources required for the Parliamentary review of national security and intelligence activities
Table 2 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Spending | 2,635,805 | 7.0 |
| Full-time equivalents | 1,789,492 | 6.8 |
The Finances section of the Infographic for the Secretariat on the GC Infobase page and the People section of that Infographic on the GC Infobase page provide complete financial and human resources information related to the Secretariat’s program inventory.
Related government priorities
This section highlights the government priority that is being addressed through this core responsibility.
Gender-based Analysis Plus
In 2024-25, the Secretariat was comprised of nine full-time equivalents with diverse backgrounds, professional experiences and competencies consisting of an appropriate mix of research and analytical skills.
More information on the Secretariat’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in its Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.
Internal services
In this section
Description
Internal services refer to the activities and resources that support a department in its work to meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. The 10 categories of internal services are:
- Management and Oversight services
- Communications Services
- Legal Services
- Human Resources Management
- Financial Management
- Information Management
- Information Technology
- Real Property
- Materiel
- Acquisition
Progress on results
This section presents details on how the department performed to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.
The Secretariat attributes the following expenses and activities to internal services: the memoranda of understanding with the Privy Council Office for corporate, administrative, information technology services and security support; the memorandum of understanding with the Communication Security Establishment for information technology services; and legal counsel, which is consistent with standard practice.
Resources required to achieve results
Table 3: Resources required to achieve results for internal services this year
Table 3 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.
| Resource | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Spending | 1,084,795 | 1,303,862 |
| Full-time equivalents | 3.0 | 1.6 |
The Finances section of the Infographic for the Secretariat on the GC Infobase page and the People section of that Infographic on the GC Infobase page provide complete financial and human resources information related to the Secretariat’s program inventory.
Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
Government of Canada departments are required to award at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses every year.
Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ results for 2024-25:
Table 4: Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses1
As shown in Table 4, the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians awarded 6.45% of the total value of all contracts to Indigenous businesses for the fiscal year.
| Contracting performance indicators | 2024-25 Results |
|---|---|
| Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses2 (A) | $0 |
| Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous and non‑Indigenous businesses (B) | $123,976.02 |
| Value of exceptions approved by deputy head (C) | $0 |
| Proportion of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses [A / (B−C) × 100] | 6.45% |
During the reporting period, the Secretariat surpassed the Government of Canada's minimum Indigenous procurement target of 5% by achieving 6.45%, through the procurement of office supplies from a certified Indigenous supplier. This result highlights the Secretariat’s proactive efforts to support Indigenous economic participation and demonstrates a meaningful contribution to advancing the government’s procurement reconciliation objectives.
Spending and human resources
In this section
Spending
This section presents an overview of the department's actual and planned expenditures from 2022–23 to 2027–28.
Budgetary performance summary
Table 5: Actual three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 5 shows the amount that the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians spent in each of the past three years on its core responsibilities and on internal services.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2024–25 Main Estimates | 2024–25 total authorities available for use | Actual spending over three years (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Review of National Security and Intelligence Activities | 2,635,805 | 2,636,415 |
|
| Subtotal | 2,635,805 | 2,636,415 | 4,251,132 |
| Internal services | 1,084,795 | 1,240,301 |
|
| Total | 3,720,600 | 3,876,716 |
|
Analysis of past three years of spending
The Secretariat’s funding profile remains relatively consistent on a yearly basis. Year over year variances are primarily due to fluctuations in hospitality costs for Committee meetings, travel, sitting periods, Secretariat staff and Committee membership.
The Finances section of the Infographic for the Secretariat on GC Infobase offers more financial information from previous years.
Table 6: Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 6 shows the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ planned spending for each of the next three years on its core responsibility and on internal services.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2025–26 planned spending | 2026–27 planned spending | 2027–28 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Review of National Security and Intelligence Activities | 2,643,480 | 2,645,718 | 2,645,718 |
| Subtotal | 2,643,480 | 2,645,718 | 2,645,718 |
| Internal services | 1,116,894 | 1,117,839 | 1,117,839 |
| Total | 3,760,374 | 3,763,557 | 3,763,557 |
Analysis of the next three years of spending
The Secretariat anticipates that its spending will remain consistent in the coming years. However, due to Canada’s 2025 federal election which resulted in the dissolution of Parliament and consequently the Committee, the Secretariat reduced its spending on Committee member allowances and hospitality. In addition, the Government of Canada initiated a Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) to promote responsible and cost-effective spending across federal departments and agencies. The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is required to participate in this review.
The Finances section of the Infographic for the Secretariat on GC Infobase offers more detailed financial information related to future years.
Funding
This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. Consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures for further information on funding authorities.
Graph 1: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a six-year period
Graph 1 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2022-23 to 2027-28.
Text version of graph 1
Graph 1 includes the following information in a bar graph:
| Fiscal year | Statutory | Voted | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 201,031 | 2,650,347 | 2,851,378 |
| 2023-24 | 208,877 | 2,820,378 | 3,029,255 |
| 2024-25 | 215,929 | 2,877,425 | 3,093,354 |
| 2025-26 | 260,007 | 3,500,367 | 3,760,374 |
| 2026-27 | 260,429 | 3,503,128 | 3,763,557 |
| 2027-28 | 260,429 | 3,503,128 | 3,763,557 |
Analysis of statutory and voted spending over a six-year period
Spending in fiscal year 2022-23 was lower due to the adoption of health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the Committee to hold fewer meetings, reducing spending on hospitality and interpretation.
In fiscal year 2023-24, the Secretariat’s spending increased from the previous year as in-person Committee meetings resumed, resulting in increased costs for hospitality and simultaneous interpretation.
It is anticipated that spending will be consistent as of fiscal year 2025-26 and moving forward once the Committee resumes meeting and the Secretariat is fully staffed.
Consult the Public Accounts of Canada for further information on the Secretariat’s departmental voted and statutory expenditures.
Financial statement highlights
The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ Financial Statements (Unaudited) for the Year Ended March 31, 2025.
Table 7: Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2025 (dollars)
Table 7 summarizes the expenses and revenues for 2024–25 which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.
| Financial information | 2024–25 actual results | 2024–25 planned results | Difference (actual results minus planned) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 3,306,418 | 3,926,649 | (620,231) |
| Total revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 3,306,418 | 3,926,649 | (620,231) |
Analysis of expenses and revenues for 2024-25
The department’s actual net cost of operations from continuing activities was $620,231 lower than the planned results. These lower costs resulted from decreased spending on travel and vacancies throughout the year within the Committee and the Secretariat.
The 2024–25 planned results information is provided in the Secretariat’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2024–25.
Table 8: Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited or audited) for 2023-24 and 2024-25 (dollars)
Table 8 summarizes actual expenses and revenues and shows the net cost of operations before government funding and transfers.
| Financial information | 2024–25 actual results | 2023–24 actual results | Difference (2024-25 minus 2023-24) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 3,306,418 | 3,277,969 | 28,449 |
| Total revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers | 3,306,418 | 3,277,969 | 28,449 |
Analysis of differences in expenses and revenues between 2023-24 and 2024-25
The department’s actual net cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2024-25, as compared to 2023-24, increased by $28,449. This increase is primarily attributable to the increase in salary expenditures, as well as professional and special services.
Table 9: Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited or audited) as at March 31, 2025 (dollars)
Table 9 provides a brief snapshot of the amounts the department owes or must spend (liabilities) and its available resources (assets), which helps to indicate its ability to carry out programs and services.
| Financial information | Actual fiscal year (2024–25) | Previous fiscal year (2023–24) | Difference (2024–25 minus 2023–24) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total net liabilities | 438,144 | 439,904 | (1,760) |
| Total net financial assets | 281,718 | 295,961 | (14,243) |
| Departmental net debt | 156,426 | 143,943 | 12,483 |
| Total non-financial assets | 5,529 | 6,626 | (1,097) |
| Departmental net financial position | (150,897) | (137,317) | (13,580) |
Analysis of department’s liabilities and assets since last fiscal year
As compared to the 2023–24 fiscal year, there was a decrease in the number of PAYEs and RAYEs created in 2024–25 as the Secretariat received and processed most invoices. As a result, there were fewer outstanding transactions to process for goods received and services rendered during that period.
Human resources
This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022–23 to 2027–28.
Table 10: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services
Table 10 shows a summary in full-time equivalents of human resources for the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2022–23 actual full-time equivalents | 2023–24 actual full-time equivalents | 2024–25 actual full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Review of National Security and Intelligence Activities | 7.7 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
| Subtotal | 7.7 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
| Internal services | 1 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Total | 8.7 | 8.5 | 8.4 |
Analysis of human resources for the last three years
From the 2022-23 through 2024-25 fiscal years, the Secretariat and the Committee operated with vacancies due to regular turnover. In 2023-24, the Secretariat also created and hired a full-time Manager, Corporate and Administrative Services. The Secretariat recently restructured the composition of its review and internal services personnel and now has a full complement of 12 full-time equivalents.
Table 11: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services
Table 11 shows the planned full-time equivalents for each of the Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ core responsibilities and for its internal services for the next three years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecast based on year to date.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2025–26 planned full-time equivalents | 2026–27 planned full-time equivalents | 2027–28 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Review of National Security and Intelligence Activities | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Subtotal | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Internal services | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Total | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
Analysis of human resources for the next three years
The Secretariat recently restructured the composition of its review and internal services personnel and now has a full complement of 12 full-time equivalents.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the Secretariat’s website:
Federal tax expenditures
The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.
Corporate information
Departmental profile
Appropriate minister:
The Honourable Steven MacKinnon
Institutional head:
Lisa-Marie Inman
Ministerial portfolio:
Privy Council Office
Enabling instrument:
National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act
Year of incorporation / commencement:
2017
Departmental 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:
Website:
Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians
Definitions
List of terms
- 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 of a department. The departmental results listed for a core responsibility reflect that the outcome that the department seeks to influence or achieve.
- Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
- A report that outlines the anticipated activities and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3-year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament in spring.
- departmental priority (priorité)
- A plan, project or activity that a department focuses and reports on during a specific planning period. Priorities represent the most important things to be done or those to be addressed first to help achieve the desired departmental results.
- departmental result (résultat ministériel)
- A high-level outcome related to the core responsibilities of a department.
- departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
- A quantitative or qualitative measure that assesses progress toward a departmental result.
- departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
- A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.
- Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
- A report outlining a department’s accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
- full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
- Measures the person years in a departmental budget. An employee's scheduled hours per week divided by the employer's hours for a full-time workweek calculates a full-time equivalent. For example, an employee who works 20 hours in a 40-hour standard workweek represents a 0.5 full-time equivalent.
- Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus)(analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
- An analytical tool that helps to understand the ways diverse individuals experience policies, programs and policies, programs, and other initiatives. Applying GBA Plus to policies, programs and other initiatives helps to identify the different needs of the people affected, the ways to be more responsive and inclusive, and the methods to anticipate and mitigate potential barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
- government priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
- For the purpose of the 2024-25 Departmental Results Report, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda as announced in the 2021 Speech from the Throne.
- horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
- A program, project or other initiative where two or more federal departments receive funding to work collaboratively on a shared outcome usually linked to a government priority, and where the ministers involved agree to designate it as horizontal. Specific reporting requirements apply, including that the lead department must report on combined expenditures and results.
- Indigenous business (enterprise autochtones)
- For the purposes of a Departmental Result Report, this includes any entity that meets the Indigenous Services Canada’s criteria of being owned and operated by Elders, band and tribal councils, registered in the Indigenous Business Directory or registered on a modern treaty beneficiary business list.
- 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 a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
- performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
- A qualitative or quantitative measure that assesses progress toward a department-level or program-level result, or the expected outputs or outcomes of a program, policy or initiative.
- 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 to the expected result.
- planned spending (dépenses prévues)
- For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.
- Departments must determine their planned spending and be able to defend the financial numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
- program (programme)
- Individual, group, or combination of services and activities managed together within a department and focused on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
- program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
- A listing that identifies all the department’s programs and resources that contribute to delivering on the department’s core responsibilities and achieving its results.
- result (résultat)
- An outcome or output related to the activities of a department, policy, program or initiative.
- statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
- Spending approved through legislation passed in Parliament, other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose and the terms and conditions of the expenditure.
- target (cible)
- A quantitative or qualitative, measurable goal that a department, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period.
- voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
- Spending approved annually through an appropriation act passed in Parliament. The vote also outlines the conditions that govern the spending.