In Closing

The position of Commissioner is a legislated part of how the government decided, in enacting the National Defence Act,to strike a balance between — on the one hand — the Government of Canada's need for foreign signals intelligence and IT security services, and — on the other hand — the need to protect the privacy of Canadians.

The role of the Commissioner and the Commissioner's office is to be sceptical and critical of CSEC activities and it is natural that our respective organizations may sometimes disagree. However, we have a shared objective with CSEC, which is to ensure CSEC complies with the law and protects the privacy of Canadians in the conduct of its activities.

The fulfillment of the Commissioner's mandate rests on the integrity of the office, its ability to effect change at CSEC and inspire confidence in the public that CSEC is under rigorous review.

Finally, I thank the staff of my office, whose dedication, enthusiasm, teamwork, rigour and sense of duty have been nothing short of remarkable these past three years. I can say with pride and confidence that CSEC is truly being watched.