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Annual Report 2008-2009 - Accountability in a New Era of Security Intelligence
Message from the Committee Members
Security intelligence operates in an ever-changing environment. The nature and pace of that change today is on a scale that has not been seen for several decades in Canada and elsewhere. Faced with a diverse threat environment of state and non-state actors, increased foreign investigations, growing demands from government stakeholders, as well as numerous public inquiries and court decisions pertaining to national security, the world of security intelligence has become increasingly complex.
It is against this backdrop that the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC, or the Committee) continues to serve Canadians to ensure the democratic accountability of one of our country’s most secretive institutions. Our mandate remains firmly rooted in assuring Parliament that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, or the Service) investigates and reports on threats to national security in a manner that respects the rule of law and the rights of Canadians. However, the range of security intelligence-related issues that we must understand and review continues to evolve in nature and scope.
At SIRC, we take great pride in being an organization that makes full use of the range of tools at our disposal to fulfill our mandate. Through the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act (CSIS Act), Parliament gave this Committee a broad mandate to review the Service’s performance in carrying out its duties and functions. Since it was first established in the 1980s, SIRC has endeavoured to fulfill this responsibility by responding to the changing priorities of CSIS and to the evolving expectations of Canadians for security intelligence in a democratic society. From the Committee’s perspective, the CSIS Act has provided SIRC with a model framework to carry out its mandate.
Our annual report is a vital component of how we meet those expectations—maintaining a proud tradition of providing insight and analysis with probity and fairness. Given the nature and scope of the changes in the security intelligence environment, we feel this year is a fitting time to offer Canadians a new approach to the way we report our findings and recommendations.
This year’s annual report includes an analysis section that identifies the main themes reviewed by SIRC in the past year and engages readers in a discussion about the importance of accountability in this new era of security intelligence. We are confident this undertaking will provide Parliament and all Canadians with a renewed understanding of SIRC’s role in reviewing the operations of CSIS.
SIRC itself has also experienced important changes over the past year. We recently welcomed three new members to the Committee: the Honourable Frances Lankin, P.C., the Honourable Denis Losier, P.C., and the Honourable Dr. Arthur T. Porter, P.C., M.D. We all look forward to serving Canadians with the same level of commitment that has characterized SIRC’s work since its inception. The Committee would also like to thank those members whose terms ended recently: the Honourable Roy Romanow, P.C., O.C., Q.C., the Honourable Baljit S. Chadha, P.C., and the Honourable Aldéa Landry, P.C., C.M., Q.C. We thank them for their dedication and wish all of them well in their future endeavours.
On a final note, the Committee would like to take this opportunity to send our best wishes to Jim Judd, who, after serving as the Director of CSIS, retired from the public service in June 2009. From our perspective, Mr. Judd conscientiously guided the Service through some of the most challenging issues that the organization has faced in recent years. All Members of SIRC extend their thanks to Mr. Judd for his professionalism in meeting with the Committee on a number of occasions to discuss CSIS’s work and the state of security intelligence. We look forward to working with his successor, Mr. Richard B. Fadden, and wish him well in his new position.
We are proud to share with Parliament and all Canadians our summaries of reviews and complaints investigations undertaken during the 2008–2009 fiscal year. It is our hope that this annual report will help inform Canadians about SIRC’s roles and responsibilities and the constructive role we play in ensuring that CSIS is effective in investigating and reporting on threats to national security, while respecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. This is an integral part of the scheme of accountability that was established in 1984 by Parliament—a framework that has stood the test of time, and a responsibility that we look forward to continuing to fulfill with great pride.