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Chair’s Message

I am pleased to introduce the Departmental Performance Report of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC or the Committee) for the fiscal year 2009-2010.

This past year has been one in which both public and media interest in security intelligence matters has remained high. This is due in part to decisions by the courts and to ongoing commissions of inquiry which have had a direct impact on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS or the Service). The Committee recognizes the complexity of today’s threat environment and the challenges faced by CSIS; in turn, these reinforce SIRC’s continuing and critical role of ensuring CSIS’s accountability. 

As an experienced Committee Member and SIRC’s newly appointed Chair, I take pride in the Committee’s commitment to provide expert, independent assurance to the Parliament of Canada and, through it, to Canadians that the Service is acting effectively, appropriately and lawfully in the performance of its duties and functions. 

Our reviews and complaint reports provide an important means to reassure Canadians that CSIS investigates threats to national security in a manner that respects Canada’s core democratic values. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act (CSIS Act) continues to guide SIRC’s work in assessing CSIS’s performance against the mandate and authorities conferred upon it by Parliament in 1984. The Committee embraces the belief that balancing collective public safety with individual rights is a hallmark of Canada’s democratic values and aspirations. It is a theme that I am confident will continue to guide SIRC’s work in the future.

Honourable Arthur T. Porter, P.C., M.D.
Chair

Section I: Departmental Overview

Raison d’être

Responsibilities

The Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC or the Committee) is a small, independent review body that reports to Parliament on the operations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS or the Service). It was established at the same time that CSIS was created in 1984, and derives its powers from the same legislation, the CSIS Act.

In order to fulfill its purpose, SIRC has three Program Activities. The first is to conduct in-depth reviews of CSIS activities in order to ensure that CSIS carries out its duties and functions appropriately, effectively and in accordance with the CSIS Act and the various policy instruments that flow from it, and with direction from the Minister. The second is to investigate complaints by any person about any action of the Service. The third Program Activity encompasses the internal services required to support the functioning of the organization.

Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

The chart below illustrates SIRC’s framework of program activities, which roll up and contribute to progress toward the organization’s Strategic Outcome.

Performance Summary

2009–10 Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
2,919	3,132	2,355

2009–10 Human Resources (FTEs)

Planned	Actual	Difference
21	14	7

Strategic Outcome: The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) performs its duties and functions in accordance with the law, policy and Ministerial direction.
Performance Indicators	Targets	2009–10 Performance
Number of reviews/complaint investigations that reported CSIS activities were in compliance with the CSIS Act, Ministerial Direction and operational policy.	No major incidents of non-compliance by CSIS.	SIRC review findings and the results of complaint investigations found no major incidents of non-compliance by CSIS.

(thousands of dollars)

Program Activity	2008–09 Actual Spending	2009–10[1]				Alignment to Government of Canada Outcome
		Main Estimates	Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
Reviews	1,494	1,584	1,577	1,621	836	SIRC provides assurance that the Service is acting within law, policy and Ministerial direction which contributes to such government of Canada outcomes as a safe and secure Canada and a safe and secure world through international cooperation. These, in turn, promote public trust in democratic institutions and in turn strengthen the interaction between those institutions and Canadian citizens.
Complaints	905	569	569	644	577
Internal Services	Note 1	773	773	867	942
Total	2,399	2,926	2,919	3,132	2,355
Full Time Equivalent	16	21	21	21	14

Contribution of Priorities to Strategic Outcome(s)

Operational Priorities	Type	Status	Linkages to Strategic Outcome
Continuous improvement for reviews and complaints	Ongoing	Successfully met SIRC continues to adjust its research methodology to reflect CSIS’s new structure and the increasing complexity of its operations. SIRC balanced its reliance on reviewing electronic and paper documentation by complementing those activities with briefings and interviews with CSIS staff. SIRC researchers augmented their knowledge of the security intelligence environment by attending seminars and conferences. In regard to complaint investigations, SIRC continued to encourage the parties to make representations on its jurisdiction to investigate the complaints. SIRC also continued to use pre-hearing conferences to set the terms of reference for the investigation of complaints and to determine preliminary procedural issues. There were no new SIRC Members during this review period.	The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) performs its duties and functions in accordance to the law, policy and Ministerial directions.

Management Priorities	Type	Status	Linkages to Strategic Outcome(s)
Improved corporate management	Ongoing	Successfully met In support of improving its modern management accountability plan, SIRC completed an updated draft of its HR Authorities chart. SIRC completed the development of its Business Continuity Plan. SIRC completed the draft of its Investment Plan as well as an update to its Management Accountability Framework. SIRC is working with Treasury Board and the Small Agency community to address key central agency reporting requirements.	The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) performs its duties and functions in accordance to the law, policy and Ministerial directions.

Risk Analysis

The security intelligence community has undergone several legal, policy and program changes in response to the evolving threat environment. SIRC continues to monitor discussion and debate about potential and ongoing Government initiatives that may impact upon the nature and scope of SIRC's reviews and complaints investigations.

Given its small size, SIRC has struggled in the past with central agency reporting requirements. Because SIRC lacks dedicated functional specialists who would be solely responsible for financial, security, informatics and human resource management, SIRC has had to rely on a combination of external contractors and internal staff to carry out these functions. In 2009-10, SIRC has seen a welcome decline in the reporting requirements made on the organization by central agencies.

Expenditure Profile

Variance explanation for Spending Trend graph

SIRC’s actual spending for 2009-10 was $2,355 thousands which is similar to the 2008-09 actual spending. Spending remains lower than anticipated as a result of reduced operational costs which were primarily due to a temporary increase in the vacancy rate for the research group.

Voted and Statutory Items

(thousands of dollars)

Vote # or Statutory Item (S)	Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording	2007–08 Actual Spending	2008–09 Actual Spending	2009–10 Main Estimates	2009–10 Actual Spending
1	Program expenditures 1	2,373	2,215	2,649	2,123
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	253	184	277	232
Total		2,626	2,399	2,926	2,355

Due to rounding, figures may not add to the totals shown
¹Please refer to the spending trends graph for more details on departmental spending trends.

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^[1] Commencing in the 2009-10 Estimates cycle, the resources for Program Activity: Internal Services are displayed separately from other program activities; they are no longer distributed among the remaining program activities, as was the case in previous Main Estimates. This has affected the comparability of spending and FTE information by Program Activity between fiscal years.

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