Annual Report 2023

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

Annual Report 2023 (Revised version pursuant to subsection 21(5) of the NSICOP Act)

CP100E (Print)
ISSN 2562-5101 (Print)

CP100E-PDF (Online)
ISSN 2562-511X (Online)

Cette publication est également disponible en français :
Rapport annuel 2023 (Version révisée selon le paragraphe 21(5) de la Loi sur le CPSNR)

P.O. Box 8015, Station T, Ottawa ON K1G 5A6
www.nsicop-cpsnr.ca

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, 2024. All rights reserved.

Revisions

Consistent with subsection 21(1) of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act (NSICOP Act), the Committee must submit an annual report to the Prime Minister. Consistent with subsection 21(5) of the NSICOP Act, the Prime Minister may, after consulting the Chair of the Committee, direct the Committee to submit to him or her a revised version of the annual report that does not contain information the Prime Minister believes the disclosure of which would be injurious to national security, national defence or international relations or is information that is protected by solicitor-client privilege.

This report was provided to the Prime Minister on April 10, 2024. No revisions were made to remove information the disclosure of which the Prime Minister believes would be injurious to national defence, national security or international relations, or which constitutes solicitorclient privilege.

However, the report’s annexes of the Committee’s previous recommendations and the government’s responses do contain revisions that were included in previous reports. Each of these are marked with three asterixis (***). There are no changes to these revisions.

Message from the Committee

We are pleased to present the sixth annual report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. As always, the Committee has continued its work supporting and strengthening the effectiveness and accountability of the Canadian security and intelligence community.

Reflecting on the past year

In 2023, the Committee finished two reviews and launched a third. In August, we finished and submitted our review of the Federal Policing mandate of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to the Prime Minister. The report was subsequently tabled in Parliament in November. Also in November, we finished a special review of an intelligence collection activity and submitted the report to the Prime Minister.

In March, the Committee launched a review of foreign interference in Canada’s federal democratic processes and institutions. Indeed, this is the third time that the Committee is examining foreign interference. Accordingly, this most recent review builds on this previous work. Foreign interference is a significant threat to the rights and freedoms of Canadians and Canadian society, and it is paramount that we act to preserve the integrity of our institutions.

During 2023, the Committee was also pleased to welcome two new members and benefitted greatly from their insights and considerable experience. We also note that two members ceased being members in 2023 following their respective appointments as parliamentary secretaries. We would like to sincerely thank them for their important contributions during their tenure.

Opportunities and challenges

The success of the Committee in producing robust reviews on Canada’s national security and intelligence apparatus and its ability to deliver relevant recommendations to the government does not imply an absence of challenges.

First, we continue to face challenges in ensuring access to all relevant information to fulfill our statutory responsibility of conducting comprehensive national security and intelligence reviews. As noted in previous annual reports, we are concerned about the extent to which some departments apply a broad definition of Cabinet confidence to withhold documents from the Committee. We remain prepared to work with the government on this issue.

Second, the Committee notes the difficulty of getting timely responses from the government to its recommendations. While we are pleased that the government provided an update this year on the actions taken in relation to some of our earlier recommendations, we continue to await a response to the Special Report on the Federal Policing Mandate of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provided in 2023. Therefore, the Committee takes this opportunity to reiterate that formal responses are essential to strengthening the policies, operations and accountability of the security and intelligence community.

Conclusion

Finally, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to officials from the security and intelligence community for their cooperation and to Secretariat officials for their continuing assistance and their unfailing dedication.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians
(Membership from the 44th Parliament)

  • The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P. (Chair)
  • Mr. Stéphane Bergeron, M.P.
  • Mr. Don Davies, M.P.
  • The Honourable Patricia Duncan, Senator
  • Ms. Iqra Khalid, M.P. (ceased being a member on September 17, 2023)
  • The Honourable Marty Klyne, Senator
  • The Honourable Frances Lankin, P.C., C.M., Senator
  • Ms. Patricia Lattanzio, M.P.
  • Mr. James Maloney, M.P. (ceased being a member on September 17, 2023)
  • Mr. Rob Morrison, M.P.
  • Mr. Alex Ruff, M.S.C., C.D., M.P.

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