{"id":8830,"date":"2021-10-28T15:31:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T20:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nsira-ossnr.gc.ca\/reviews\/ongoing-and-completed-reviews\/completed-reviews\/review-of-the-canadian-security-intelligence-services-csis-internal-security-branch-2\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T08:41:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T13:41:48","slug":"backgrounder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nsira-ossnr.gc.ca\/en\/reviews\/find-a-review\/18-15\/backgrounder\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service\u2019s (CSIS) Internal Security Branch: Backgrounder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"hero-banner-post\" style=\"background: url(\/wp-content\/uploads\/Reviews-Banner-2.jpg); background-size: cover; background-position: center; border-style: solid; border-width: 0 0 10px 0; border-color: #eeeeee; padding: 50px 0;\">\n    <div class=\"grid-container\">\n        <div class=\"grid-row\">\n            <div id=\"col-gm55631e\" class=\"text-center wp-block-gutentor-m4-col col-gm55631e gutentor-single-column grid-lg-12 grid-md-12 grid-12 mrgn-tp-md mrgn-bttm-md\">\n                <div id=\"section-gm55631e\" class=\"section-gm55631e gutentor-col-wrap\">\n                    <!-- Page Title (Parent page title dynamically added) -->\n                    <h1 style=\"font-size: 2.25em; border:none;\" class=\"has-text-color has-white-color mrgn-tp-md wp-block-post-title\">\n                        Review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service\u2019s (CSIS) Internal Security Branch                    <\/h1>\n\n                    <hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-white-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-white-background-color has-background\">\n\n                    <!-- Dynamically Display the Page Type (e.g., Notification Letter, Report, etc.) -->\n                                            <h2 class=\"has-text-color has-white-color\" style=\"font-size: 1.5em; margin-top: 20px;\">\n                            Backgrounder                        <\/h2>\n                    \n                    <!-- Here you could add other content like buttons or additional text if needed -->\n\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section id=\"gmf54dcd6\" class=\"wp-block-gutentor-m4 section-gmf54dcd6 gutentor-module gutentor-advanced-columns has-color-bg has-custom-bg\"><div class=\"grid-container\"><div class=\"grid-row\">\n<div id=\"col-gm3a6053\" class=\"wp-block-gutentor-m4-col col-gm3a6053 gutentor-single-column  grid-lg-12 grid-md-12 grid-12\"><div id=\"section-gm3a6053\" class=\"section-gm3a6053 gutentor-col-wrap\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading h3 has-nsira-blue-color has-text-color\" id=\"1-review-backgrounder\">Review Backgrounder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"translation-block\">On August 14, 2019, the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) presented the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness with a classified report on its review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service\u2019s (CSIS) Internal Security Branch. This review is a follow-up to the 2013 study conducted by NSIRA\u2019s predecessor, the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) of CSIS\u2019s Internal Security (IS) Branch. SIRC found a number of serious shortcomings related to CSIS\u2019s handling of sensitive case files, access lists and their practices and management of internal investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"translation-block\">NSIRA\u2019s latest review found that while significant improvements have been made with respect to internal security at CSIS since the 2013 review (<em>The \u201cInsider Threat\u201d and Its Effect on Information Management \u2014 Section 54 Report<\/em>&nbsp;(TOP SECRET) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sirc.gc.ca\/opbapb\/lsrlse\/2013\/2013-06-eng.pdf\">PDF of Review<\/a>) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sirc.gc.ca\/anrran\/2014-2015\/index-eng.html#sc2-1\">SIRC&nbsp;2013-06<\/a>)), further improvements to internal security policies could strengthen the consistency of decision-making on personnel security files and investigations. It could also improve the procedural fairness of these processes writ large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"translation-block\">NSIRA\u2019s review also examined the use of the polygraph, and sought justification for its use and the extent to which such determinations are reasonable and necessary. Several key observations were derived from this analysis. It also raised a much broader consideration: namely, the extent to which the government\u2019s overarching policy document, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tbs-sct.gc.ca\/pol\/doc-eng.aspx?id=28115\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Standard on Security Screening<\/a>, provides adequate guidance for departments and agencies when they implement this safeguarding measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going forward, NSIRA will continue to examine the Government\u2019s use of the polygraph as a security screening tool.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3255,"parent":4722,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-nsira-subpages.php","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[10,24],"tags":[45,77,74],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service\u2019s (CSIS) Internal Security Branch: Backgrounder - 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