Minister’s Role and Accountabilities

Overall direction to CSIS

• Issue directions to the Director (e.g. intelligence priorities, operations, accountability, threats to Parliament and Parliamentarians ).

Warrants

• Approve applications to the Federal Court for warrants for more intrusive collection techniques and for certain threat reduction measures.

Authorization

Justification Framework

• Determine the classes of acts or omissions.
• Designate CSIS employees and senior employees under the framework.

Datasets Framework

• Determine the classes of Canadian datasets CSIS may collect.
• Approve applications to the Federal Court for the retention of Canadian datasets.

Domestic & Foreign Arrangements

• Approve arrangements with federal departments, provincial governments, and police forces as well as foreign partners.

Foreign Intelligence

• Authorize CSIS to collect foreign intelligence, further to a request from the Minister of Foreign Affairs or National Defence.

Transparency, Review and Accountability

Notification by CSIS

• Publish an annual report on the justification framework.
• Table the CSIS Annual Public Report in Parliament.
• May refer a national security matter to a review body.
• Provide the Attorney General with a report from the Director on possible unlawful activities.
• Provided with a classified annual report of CSIS’ operational activities.
• Notified prior to CSIS undertaking high risk operations or operational activities where a novel authority, technique, or technology is used.