Terms and conditions of employment
- Date Modified:
As a separate employer in the Government of Canada, we value our talent and embrace flexibility, innovation and diversity!
We offer the same benefits as well as the same pension plan of the Federal Public Service.
Flexible work arrangements and support for work-life balance, as well as Government of Canada’s salaries (same classification system) and benefits, including: pension, supplemental health insurance, dental care, maternity and parental leave benefits, vacation days and Employee Assistance Program.
We are proud of our excellence-driven culture bolstered by our commitment to a respectful, healthy, diverse and inclusive workplace.
At NSIRA, diversity and inclusions means:
The sensitive nature of our mandate demands the highest ethical standards. These values are the foundation to how we do business, which are aligned with the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
For more information about global compensation at NSIRA, please contact us.
Our mission is to serve Canadians by conducting trusted, independent expert reviews and investigations of Canada’s national security and intelligence activities. Created in 2019, we are a new organization building our capacity to deliver on our mandate. As we do so, we are intent on becoming an employer of choice in the federal government through building an excellent working environment, dedication to our people and establishing review as a long-term career choice.
We are a team of about 100 dedicated professionals composed primarily of analysts, lawyers, technologists and corporate services professionals. We work at multiple locations in the National Capital Region and our main office is centrally located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, steps from public transit, shopping, cafés, and restaurants.
Interested in understanding more about our work? Read our most recent Annual report to see highlights of our achievements.
We are always interested in talking to Canadians interested in joining our organization. Please contact us here for any inquiries related to working at NSIRA.
Existing opportunities can be found at jobs.gc.ca.
An interchange is an excellent idea to consider if you want to explore a new opportunity. We have many staff out on interchange, and frequently host professionals from elsewhere in the public service or from organizations outside the public service.
Should NSIRA determine it is not within its mandate to investigate your complaint, your complaint file will be closed. NSIRA will inform you, by letter, of its decision.
Your complaint may not have been accepted by NSIRA as your complaint does not concern an activity carried out by CSIS and/or NSIRA is satisfied that your complaint is trivial, frivolous or vexatious or made in bad faith.
NSIRA will inform you and the respondent (s) of the next steps in the complaint process.
NSIRA may contact you and seek your availability for an investigative interview to clarify the nature and scope of your allegations. It may hold a case management conference to determine procedural matters.
NSIRA may also determine that an oral or written hearing is necessary in order to fully investigate and consider some or all of the issues of your complaint
Once NSIRA has examined the documentary evidence, conducted investigative interviews and/or held a hearing, the NSIRA Member assigned to investigate your complaint will prepare a final report which will include its findings and/or recommendations based on the evidence and written submissions received from the parties. An unclassified copy of the final report will be sent to you.
The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) is committed to respecting the privacy of those who visit its website. This notice summarizes the privacy practices related to the NSIRA’s website.
All personal information collected by the NSIRA is governed by the Privacy Act. This means that if the NSIRA asks you to provide personal information, you will be informed of the purpose for which your personal information is being collected and how to exercise your rights of access to, correction and protection of that information.
The nature of the Internet is such that web servers automatically collect certain kinds of information about visitors when they access websites, including each visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. An IP address, on its own, may not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, federal institutions, including the NSIRA, consider a person’s IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data that is automatically collected when a visitor requests a web page, such as the page or pages visited and the date and time of the visit.
Unless otherwise stated, the NSIRA does not automatically gather any specific information from visitors, such as name, telephone number, or email address. The NSIRA would obtain this type of information only if an individual were to supply it—for example, by email or by filling in a contact form. In such cases, details about how the personal information is handled will be provided in a Personal Information Collection Statement.
In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the Government of Canada, such as social media platforms or mobile applications, IP addresses may be recorded by the Web server of the third-party service provider.
If you choose to send an email to the NSIRA, or complete a feedback form online, your personal information may be used by the NSIRA in order to respond to your inquiry. Such information may also be used for statistical, evaluation, and reporting purposes.
The NSIRA does not use the information to create individual profiles, nor does it disclose the information except in accordance with the Privacy Act.
Email and other electronic means used to communicate with the NSIRA are not secure unless it is specifically stated on a web page. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not send sensitive personal information, such as your social insurance number or date of birth, through non-secure electronic means.
Personal information from emails or completed feedback forms is collected pursuant to the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act, and is included in Personal Information Bank Public Communications (PSU 914).
The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA)’s use of social media serves as an extension of its presence on the Web. NSIRA social media account(s) are public and are not hosted on Government of Canada servers. Users who choose to interact with us via social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of these third-party service providers and those of any applications used to access them. The NSIRA uses X and LinkedIn.
Personal information that you provide to the NSIRA via social media account(s) is collected under the authority of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act. This information is collected to capture conversations (e.g. questions and answers, comments, rexeets) between you and the NSIRA. It may be used to respond to inquiries, or for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Comments posted that violate Canadian law will be deleted and disclosed to law enforcement authorities. Comments that violate our terms and policies will also be deleted. The personal information is included in Personal Information Bank PSU 938 Outreach Activities.
NSIRA carries out web analytics using services from the third-party service providers Google Inc. (Google Analytics). Google Analytics operates data centers globally, including in the United States, to maximize service speed and reliability. Before data for analytics is transferred to any servers in the United States, it is collected in local servers, where users’ IP addresses are anonymized. Data collected for web analytics purposes going to the United States may be subject to the governing legislation of that country.
For more information about the privacy policies of these service providers, please visit their individual websites or use the following link: Google Analytics Privacy & Terms.
You may direct any questions, comments, concerns, or complaints you have concerning the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies regarding the NSIRA’s web presence to the NSIRA Secretariat’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator. You can contact the ATIP Coordinator by email at ATIP@nsira-ossnr.gc.ca, or by regular mail at the following address:
National Security and Intelligence Review Agency
Attention: NSIRA ATIP
P.O. Box 2430, Station “D”
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5W5 Canada
If you are not satisfied with the NSIRA Secretariat’s response to your privacy concerns, you may wish to contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at the following address:
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 1H3
Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA).
The material on this site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.
Information on this website has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal or non-commercial use. Unless otherwise specified, users may reproduce the materials in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, and in any format, without charge or further permission so long as they:
Unless otherwise specified, this authorization is also applicable to all published information regardless of its format.
To improve the functionality of the NSIRA’s website, certain files (such as open source libraries, images and scripts) may be delivered automatically to your browser via a trusted third-party server or content delivery network. The delivery of these files is intended to provide a seamless user experience by speeding response times and avoiding the need for each visitor to download these files. Where applicable, specific privacy statements covering these files are included in our Privacy Notice.
The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the Canada Wordmark, flag symbol and the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency’s signature incorporating the Arms of Canada, may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without prior written authorization.
Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purpose of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from NSIRA, on behalf of the Government of Canada, the copyright holder.
To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials on this site for commercial purposes, contact us and request Crown copyright clearance by emailing us or by regular mail at the following address:
National Security and Intelligence Review Agency
Attention: NSIRA Communications
P.O. Box 2430, Station “D”
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5W5 Canada
Some of the materials and graphical elements found on this website may be subject to copyrights held by other organizations. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply and it may be necessary to seek permission from the rights holder prior to reproducing the material. To obtain information concerning copyrights ownership regarding third-party materials, please contact us.
This website contains links to third party sites. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency provides these links only as a courtesy for the convenience of our visitors. We take no responsibility for, nor do we guarantee, the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content at third party sites and a link to them in no way implies an endorsement or recommendation of the products, services or information found there.
Websites not under the control of the Government of Canada are not subject to the Privacy Act or the Official Languages Act, and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities or as secure as this site. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the third-party site in question. With respect to privacy, visitors should research the privacy policies of these websites before providing personal information.
The NSIRA disclaims all liability with regard to your access to linked third-party websites. When you link to sites external to the NSIRA website, you do so at your own risk.
The NSIRA reserves the right to regularly review and re-evaluate any and all links and reserves the right to terminate any link without prior notification.
The Official Languages Act, the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations and Treasury Board policy requirements establish when we use both English and French to provide services to or communicate with members of the public.
The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency is committed to ensuring that all content presented on this site and that it posts on social media is available simultaneously in both French and English, and that both versions are of equal quality.
However, users should be aware that some information from external sources is available as a courtesy and will only be available in the language in which it was provided. Some hyperlinks direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act.
Personal information collected by NSIRA is protected under the Privacy Act. For further information about NSIRA’s privacy practices, please consult the Agency’s General Privacy Statement. For further information about NSIRA’s privacy practices concerning a NSIRA website, please consult the Agency’s Website Privacy Notice.
The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency is committed to equitable access to information, regardless of the technologies used. We are continually striving to make our site accessible to all, including persons with disabilities and to those who use assistive devices. To report a barrier encountered in using our website or to request information found on our website in an alternative format, please contact us.
Users should be aware that social media platforms are third-party service providers and are not bound by Government of Canada standards for Web accessibility, and that third-party websites linked to for the convenience of users may also not be bound by these standards.
This notice explains how the NSIRA interacts with the public on social media platforms.
Your engagement with the NSIRA via social media is in part governed by the Terms of Service/Use of the relevant third-party social media platform providers, as well as the following Terms and Conditions. The Government of Canada has no control over the social media platform providers’ Terms of Service/Use, but you are strongly encouraged to read them in addition to those that follow.
The NSIRA uses social media accounts as an alternative method of interacting with Canadians and of sharing the content posted on its website, facilitating access to the NSIRA’s information and services, and providing stakeholders with an opportunity to interact in an informative and respectful environment.
Because social media platforms and their computer servers are managed by a third party, social media accounts are subject to downtime that may be out of the Government of Canada’s control. The Government of Canada accepts no responsibility for platforms becoming unresponsive or unavailable.
Social media accounts may post or display links or ads for websites that are not under the control of the Government of Canada. These links are provided solely for the convenience of users. The Government of Canada is not responsible for the information found through these links or ads; neither does it endorse the sites or their content.
The NSIRA’s decision to follow, “favorite” or subscribe to another social media account does not imply an endorsement of that account, channel, page or site, and neither does sharing (re-xeeting, reposting or linking to) content from another user.
The NSIRA will read comments and participate in discussions when appropriate. Your comments and contributions must be relevant and respectful. The NSIRA will not engage in partisan or political issues or respond to questions that violate these Terms and Conditions. The NSIRA reserves the right to remove comments and contributions, and to block users based on the following criteria:
The comments or contributions:
The NSIRA reserves the right to report users and/or their comments and contributions to third-party social media service providers to prevent or remove the posting of content that is contrary to these Terms and Conditions, or to the Terms of Service/Use of the third-party social media platform.
Social media platforms are third-party service providers and are not bound by Government of Canada standards for Web accessibility.
Information that we post is subject to the Copyright Act.
Social media accounts are not Government of Canada websites and represent only their presence on third-party service providers.
The NSIRA uses various social media platforms to tell you about and get your input on government services, programs and initiatives. At times, the NSIRA may need to collect personal information from you.
This page tells you:
It also tells you about:
Personal information is information about you that is recorded in any form and that can be used to identify you. Personal information includes:
To consult you about topics that might interest you or to enable you to participate in outreach activities, we may need to collect biographical information or your opinions and views about different topics.
We might use your personal information to:
If you make inappropriate comments or contributions, we may remove them. We may also block you or report you to third‑party social media service providers if your comments or contributions violate the terms and conditions for interacting on social media. When doing so and to the extent necessary, we may use and disclose your personal information.
We can make the content of social media interactions publicly available if we have notified participants in advance. We will get your consent to use your personal information to create mailing lists so that we can contact you about upcoming events or to ask you for your views on particular issues.
We will not use any personal information that we collect from you through social media accounts to make decisions in processes that you are directly involved in.
The following personal information banks describe how we handle personal information that we collect through our social media accounts: Public Communications (PSU 914) and Outreach Activities (PSU 938).
When you interact with NSIRA official social media accounts, your social media profile information may be recorded as per the practices of the social media platform. However, you have the right to refuse to give us any additional personal information when you interact with us on social media. There will be no legal or administrative consequences, but you might not be able to take part in a particular activity.
You can ask to access personal information that you have given us or that may have been created when you have interacted with us through our social media accounts. We don’t collect and retain this information with the intention of it being retrievable, so if you ask to access to it, please give the date and time of the interaction and any other details that could help us retrieve it. To access this information, you can fill out a personal information request form.
If you choose to interact with us on social media, you should read the NSIRA’s terms and conditions for doing so. You should also read the terms of service and the privacy policies of the social media platform provider and those of any applications you use to access that platform.
Whenever we collect personal information from you on social media and whenever personal information is created as a result of your interactions with us on social media, we have to comply with the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act.
If you have questions, comments, concerns or complaints about how we collect, use and store your personal information, contact the NSIRA Secretariat’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator. You can contact the ATIP Coordinator by email at ATIP@nsira-ossnr.gc.ca, or by regular mail at the following address:
National Security and Intelligence Review Agency
Attention: NSIRA ATIP
P.O. Box 2430, Station “D”
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5W5 Canada
If you are not satisfied with the NSIRA Secretariat’s response to your privacy concerns, you may wish to contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at the following address:
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 1H3
Many social media platforms have multiple language options and provide instructions on how to set your preferences. The NSIRA respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that our information is simultaneously available in both English and French, and that both versions are of equal quality.
We reply to comments in the official language in which they are posted. If we think the response is a question of general public interest, we may respond in both official languages.
We may share links that direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and available only in the language(s) in which they are written.
Reporters are asked to send questions to MEDIA-MEDIAS@nsira-ossnr.gc.ca.
Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research, or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity, you can request alternate formats. To do so, please contact us.
As Canada’s independent agency, NSIRA has a broad mandate to review any activity carried out by a federal department related to national security or intelligence.
NSIRA has the crucial role of investigating national security-related complaints ensuring that they are addressed with the greatest degree of consistency, fairness, and timeliness.
You will find a collection of documents and resources that provide in-depth information and analysis on a variety of topics and issues.
NSIRA has the crucial role of investigating national security-related complaints ensuring that they are addressed with the greatest degree of consistency, fairness, and timeliness.
We are always on the lookout for talented, dedicated individuals to join our team.
Read about all we’ve been working on
The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) is an independent and external review body that reports to Parliament. NSIRA reviews all Government of Canada national security and intelligence activities to ensure that they are lawful, reasonable and necessary. NSIRA also investigates public complaints regarding key national security agencies and activities.
Learn about NSIRA’s role in conducting export review of national security and intelligence activities across all federal departments and agencies
Learn about how NSIRA addresses all national security complaints against the RCMP, CSIS, and CSE, as well as complaints relating to security clearances.
General Enquiries:
info@nsira-ossnr.gc.ca
Media Enquiries:
MEDIA-MEDIAS@nsira-ossnr.gc.ca
Access to information:
ATIP@nsira-ossnr.gc.ca
National Security and Intelligence Review Agency
P.O. Box 2430, Station “D”
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5W5
To make a complaint, visit our complaints page here.
Faisal Mirza is a partner at Mirza Kwok Defence Lawyers. He practices trial and appellate litigation in the areas of criminal, constitutional, and regulatory law. He frequently appears on behalf of clients and human rights organizations at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Mr. Mirza is an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School where he teaches Advanced Criminal Law. He is also an instructor in National Security and the Law at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Criminal Jury Charge Practice and several articles about criminal procedure and sentencing.
Mr. Mirza is co-founder of the Sentencing and Parole Project, which focuses on anti-Black racism in the criminal justice system. He is President of the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association, a board member of The Advocates’ Society, and a contributor to various initiatives with the South Asian Bar Association and the Criminal Lawyers’ Association.
Mr. Mirza has been recognized by Best Lawyers magazine as one of Canada’s leading appellate lawyers and received the Diversity Award by the South Asian Bar Association for his work in social justice. He was also nominated in Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2020, in the Changemakers section.
Mr. Mirza holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Osgoode Hall. Before being called to the bar in 2002, he articled at Greenspan Humphrey Lavine, and worked for the Honourable Fred Kaufman and Mark Sandler during an independent review of the Government of Nova Scotia’s response to abuse in provincial institutions.