August 5, 2025
Subject: Notification of Review of the Communications Security Establishment’s Disclosures of Canadian Identifying Information
Dear Minister McGuinty,
I am writing on behalf of the Members of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) to inform you that NSIRA has initiated a review of the Communications Security Establishment’s (CSE’s) Disclosures of Canadian Identifying Information (CII).
This review is being conducted pursuant to paragraph 8(1)(a) of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act (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.
This review will examine CSE’s disclosures of CII to Government of Canada and other partners. In doing so, NSIRA will assess CSE’s compliance with the law, policy requirements, and the reasonableness and necessity of this activity. This will be NSIRA’s second review of this activity but the first to examine it since the coming into force of the Communications Security Establishment Act.
NSIRA will engage with your officials regarding this review. As the review progresses, NSIRA’s review team will be in regular contact with them with 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 to this review. This review may also include independent inspections of some technical systems. NSIRA’s expectations for responsiveness are available online at https://nsira-ossnr.gc.ca.
I thank you in advance for your cooperation and support to the independent review process, which is key to transparency and democratic accountability.
Sincerely,
The Honourable Marie Deschamps, C.C.
Chair, National Security and Intelligence Review Agency
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- Caroline Xavier, Chief, Communications Security Establishment