Date of Publishing:
NSIRA’s Notification Letter
I am writing on behalf of the Members of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) to inform you that NSIRA has initiated its 2023 review of departmental implementation of the Avoiding Complicity in Mistreatment by Foreign Entities Act (ACA). NSIRA is sending notification of this review to all deputy heads who have been issued directions under the ACA. This annual review is being conducted pursuant to subsection 8(2.2) and paragraph 8(1)(b) of the NSIRA Act. The NSIRA Act grants NSIRA full and timely access to all information held by reviewed departments and agencies, including classified and privileged information, with the exception of Cabinet confidences.
The NSIRA review team conducting this review has been identified in the cover email to this letter; they should serve as your officials’ primary point of contact at NSIRA regarding this review. Please ensure that the relevant points of contact within your organization are identified to NSIRA’s review team in the coming days. As the review progresses, NSIRA’s review team will be in regular contact with them regarding requests for information. Such requests may involve documents, system access, written explanations, briefings, interviews, surveys, and any other information that NSIRA determines to be of relevance. NSIRA reviews may also include independent inspections of technical systems. NSIRA’s “Expectations for Responsiveness in Reviews” are available on our website, www.nsira-ossnr.gc.ca.
We would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of the reporting requirements set out in the ACA: subsection 7(1) requires that deputy heads submit a report in respect of the implementation of ACA directions during the previous calendar year to the appropriate Minister before March 1; and subsection 8(1) requires that, as soon as feasible after receiving a report under section 7, the appropriate Minister provide a copy of it to NSIRA, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and if applicable, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Sincerely,
The Honourable Marie Deschamps, C.C.
Chair, National Security and Intelligence Review Agency