The Upcoming Year

I am beginning the second year of my mandate with optimism and realism. On the one hand, I am optimistic because of the quality of the team that assists me, the rigour of the review process established by the office, and the professionalism underlying relations between CSEC and my office. On the other hand, I am realistic given the constantly changing technological environment and an equally dynamic international environment, to which I and my team, as well as CSEC, must adapt. In this context, I want to ensure that CSEC maintains and reinforces the measures taken to protect the privacy of Canadians.

Our free and democratic society will always be subject to internal and external threats. Each technological development, for example, may have both positive and negative effects. The need to reconcile the right of everyone to a free and democratic society and the right of each person to the protection of his or her privacy demands rigorous and ongoing efforts on the part of those who, like us, have a mandate to ensure that the activities of agencies which operate in the greatest secrecy comply with the law and protect the privacy of Canadians.

My office will carry out several reviews during the upcoming year. I plan to pay special attention to those activities of CSEC which concern me the most and where the risks to privacy are the greatest. I want to ensure that CSEC does not use or retain any private communications that are not related to international affairs, defence, or security which is a legal requirement. I also want to ensure that the identity of a Canadian is revealed only when it is strictly necessary. The risk to individual privacy is heightened when information is shared, particularly with international partners, and I will report next year on the review under way on this issue.

The part of CSEC's mandate dealing with the protection of information and the information infrastructures of importance to the Government of Canada has gained in prominence; recent incidents have reminded us to what degree our computer systems may be vulnerable. In this context, I have requested my officials to examine in-depth these CSEC activities of growing prominence to ensure that they comply with the law and protect the privacy of Canadians.

A final word on an issue that persists year after year: the need for legislative amendments that will eliminate the ambiguities noted by my predecessors and myself in the National Defence Act. I know that the work is under way. It is my hope that the new government elected on May 2nd 2011 will act quickly and that all Members of Parliament will support the elimination of these ambiguities. These legislative amendments, in my opinion, should not provoke any controversy.