Evolving how we work

CSIS continues to consolidate efforts and make important strides in becoming the inclusive and people-focused organization that its diverse employees expect and deserve.

Values and ethics

Building a respectful, inclusive, and equitable workplace culture starts as soon as new employees join the organization, and remains a priority throughout employees’ careers, including at the executive level. The organization continues to prioritize training, awareness-building, and, in 2025, has added a more robust segment on values and ethics to the CSIS onboarding program to set the tone.

CSIS has its own Code of Conduct, and adherence to it is a condition of employment. As such, employees must familiarize themselves with and reaffirm their commitment to it on an annual basis. In 2025, CSIS also strengthened its internal conflict of interest declaration process to ensure that employees were better equipped to make informed decisions regarding their outside activities. 

Addressing Misconduct and Wrongdoing at CSIS

In June 2025, CSIS publicly released its first Addressing Misconduct and Wrongdoing at CSIS report, following a commitment made by the former Director of CSIS, David Vigneault, in 2023 in order to ensure transparency and hold the organization to account, as well as demonstrate that inappropriate behaviours are being addressed. These efforts also support the directive issued by the Clerk of the Privy Council to all deputy heads in 2025 that they produce annual reports on the disclosure of misconduct and wrongdoing.

To address the concerns raised by the 2023 and 2024 statistics included in this initial report, in 2025, CSIS continued to focus on providing training and awareness activities to educate employees and managers on acceptable workplace behaviours, and to ensure that employees who experience or witness an act of misconduct or wrongdoing know what support resources and reporting mechanisms are in place.

The objective is to continue reinforcing the importance of a culture of integrity, respect, and accountability, and to provide a safe and supportive workplace for all employees.

The report also clearly demonstrates that where inappropriate behaviours took place, appropriate disciplinary measures were taken.

CSIS Ombuds Office

Part of the commitment made in 2023 included the creation of an ombuds office. CSIS was pleased to welcome its first Ombuds, Elianne Hall, in May 2025, with her office officially launching in July 2025. This office further reinforces CSIS’ efforts to support the development of a more people-focused organization by creating a safe space for employees. The Office of the Ombuds is also an independent option for employees at all levels to discuss workplace issues and concerns. This includes support for individuals navigating challenges related to harassment, discrimination, and other broad forms of wrongdoing and misconduct. The Office adheres to four key principles: informality, independence, impartiality, and confidentiality.

The Ombuds’ mandate is to learn about systemic concerns within the organization, provide impartial advice to the Director, and inform decision-making in the organization to improve the workplace.

The Ombuds tabled her 100-day report in January 2026 in which she notes that CSIS is an organization with significant strengths—dedicated people, strong institutional knowledge, and a shared passion for its mandate. The report also points to a broader need for alignment—between values and behaviours, between policy and practice, and between leadership expectations and the supports provided to achieve them. Specifically, she noted concerns related to career development, competitive undercurrents, as well as gaps in management support and performance management practices. The report also underscored that addressing these systemic issues will take some time and likely require a multi-level approach that reinforces trust, strengthens managerial capacity, and promotes a culture of constructive communication and accountability. The Ombuds’ first annual report will be released in the fall of 2026.

The Director of CSIS and the executive team are taking these observations seriously, and the results have been shared with employees to ensure transparency. They are factoring into the priorities the organization has set for the coming year, toward achieving tangible changes and improvements.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy

In 2025, CSIS continued the implementation of its 2022 DEI Strategy, and its most recent scorecard was published in spring 2025. A total of 45% of the 45 commitments adopted are completed, and the remainder have been initiated or are advancing.

Over the past year, the organization has made key advances with regard to representation in the organization. CSIS continues to see a rise in diverse hiring with 21.8% of the workforce identifying as members of a visible minority, 8.5% as persons with disabilities, 2.4% as Indigenous peoples, and 48% of CSIS intelligence officers being women. CSIS has also improved its recruiting and staffing processes following intersectional analysis to remove barriers and increase fairness and equity.

CSIS has also initiated work to address the findings of the Zellars Report on Black Executives in the Public Service as they relate to CSIS through consultations with a working group of Black employees. This will in turn help guide the way forward for the organization’s Black employees.

CSIS’ employee-led Women in Technology Plus network has driven positive change by using data and employee feedback to promote diversity and inclusion in the organization’s technology sector. This past year, CSIS saw a continued increase in representation with 19.8% of women in the science and technology sector. 

CSIS 2026–2028 Accessibility Plan

CSIS is committed to ensuring that the organization is a place where all individuals, with diverse abilities, can thrive as they contribute to our mission.

CSIS has made significant progress with regard to accessibility and addressing barriers. The organization has progressed 95 of the 102 commitments in its 2023–2025 Accessibility Plan, with 42 of these commitments being completed.

Accomplishments include:

• Providing accessible transportation services to employees;
• Streamlining the process for requesting ergonomic equipment;
• Publishing products in accessible file formats;
• Offering mandatory training on accessibility, unconscious bias, and inclusion for all employees, including executives;
• Investing in accessible software that meets the organization’s security requirements; and,
• Streamlining procedures and processes for routine requests for job supports for employees with disabilities.

Further, the organization also published its CSIS Accessibility Plan 2026–2028. This updated plan reflects an improved understanding of the work the organization must do, and CSIS is committed to continuing its efforts to remove barriers (be they physical, attitudinal or systemic) and increase accessibility for all employees. This was done through a collaborative and consultative process with employees with disabilities and key stakeholders, who together identified 32 barriers and the actions required to address them. The new accessibility plan focuses on 7 priority areas as identified in the Accessible Canada Act.

Areas of focus include:

• Improving accessibility in recruitment through increased training and implementation of more explicit offers of accommodations during the hiring process;
• Enhancing physical accessibility, including installing more automatic doors and conducting a thorough accessibility audit;
• Improving digital accessibility, such as through closed captioning and software evaluated for accessibility;
• Promoting accessible communications and further enhancing training and development through accessible learning resources and accommodations; and
• Increasing support and resources for all employees on how to access and apply workplace accommodations.