Excerpts from the CSIS Act

The following excerpts from the CSIS Act may be useful to review, if you are considering making a complaint to SIRC.

Complaints

41. (1) Any person may make a complaint to the Review Committee with respect to any act or thing done by the Service and the Committee shall, subject to subsection (2), investigate the complaint if
(a) the complainant has made a complaint to the Director with respect to that act or thing and the complainant has not received a response within such period of time as the Committee considers reasonable or is dissatisfied with the response given; and
(b) the Committee is satisfied that the complaint is not trivial, frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith.

Other redress available

41. (2) The Review Committee shall not investigate a complaint in respect of which the complainant is entitled to seek redress by means of a grievance procedure established pursuant to this Act or the Public Service Staff Relations Act. 1984, c. 21, s. 41.

Denial of security clearance

42. (1) Where, by reason only of the denial of a security clearance required by the Government of Canada, a decision is made by a deputy head to deny employment to an individual or to dismiss, demote or transfer an individual or to deny a promotion or transfer to an individual, the deputy head shall send, within ten days after the decision is made, a notice informing the individual of the denial of the security clearance.

Idem

42. (2) Where, by reason only of the denial of a security clearance required by the Government of Canada to be given in respect of an individual, a decision is made to deny the individual or any other person a contract to provide goods or services to the Government of Canada, the deputy head concerned shall send, within ten days after the decision is made, a notice informing the individual and, where applicable, the other person of the denial of the security clearance.

Receipt and investigation of complaints

42. (3) The Review Committee shall receive and investigate a complaint from
(a) any individual referred to in subsection (1) who has been denied a security clearance;
or
(b) any person who has been denied a contract to provide goods or services to the Government of Canada by reason only of the denial of a security clearance in respect of that person or any individual.

Time within which complaint is to be made

42. (4) A complaint under subsection (3) shall be made within thirty days after receipt of the notice referred to in subsection (1) or (2) or within such longer period as the Review Committee allows. 1984, c. 21, s. 42.

Investigations in private

48. (1) Every investigation of a complaint under this Part by the Review Committee shall be conducted in private.

Right to make representations

(2) In the course of an investigation of a complaint under this Part by the Review Committee, the complainant, deputy head concerned and the Director shall be given an opportunity to make representations to the Review Committee, to present evidence and to be heard personally or by counsel, but no one is entitled as of right to be present during, to have access to or to comment on representations made to the Review Committee by any other person. 1984, c. 21, s. 48.

Report of findings

52. (1) The Review Committee shall,
(a) on completion of an investigation in relation to a complaint under section 41, provide the Minister and the Director with a report containing the findings of the investigation and any recommendations that the Committee considers appropriate; and
(b) at the same time as or after a report is provided pursuant to paragraph (a), report the findings of the investigation to the complainant and may, if it thinks fit, report to the complainant any recommendations referred to in that paragraph.

Idem

(2) On completion of an investigation in relation to a complaint under section 42, the Review Committee shall provide the Minister, the Director, the deputy head concerned and the complainant with a report containing any recommendations that the Committee considers appropriate, and those findings of the investigation that the Committee considers it fit to report to the complainant. 1984, c. 21, s. 52.

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