Building Relationships

The ability of my Office to review the activities of CSE can be enhanced by the relationships we have with stakeholders beyond CSE itself. During 1999-2000, two developments served to strengthen this Office's relationships with others.

DND Ombudsman

In June 1999, the Minister of National Defence announced the mandate of André Marin, the Ombudsman for the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Forces. The Ombudsman is designated to act on the Minister's behalf, independent of the chain of command, as a neutral and objective sounding board, mediator and reporter on matters related to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces.

Because the Communications Security Establishment is an agency of DND, there is potential overlap between my role and that of the Ombudsman. In the autumn of 1999, Mr. Marin and I met to discuss our respective mandates as well as to establish clear boundaries and procedures for cooperation between our two Offices. We agreed the Ombudsman has an important role in addressing issues raised by CSE employees, but that role does not extend to activities related to the mandate of CSE. In other words, it is my responsibility to deal with issues involving CSE's SIGINT or ITS activities.

We are confident that, between the two of us, we can effectively and efficiently address any concerns that may arise about CSE.

International Conference

At the international level, the second conference of Inspectors-General and Review Agencies, which took place in Ottawa in June 1999, gave me an opportunity to discuss mutual interests with colleagues from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium and South Africa. The event was hosted by Canada's Security Intelligence Review Committee, the agency responsible for reviewing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The first such conference took place in Canberra, Australia in 1997.

Among the topics of discussion at the conference were relations between review organizations and legislators, and relationships with the media. The participation of Canadian parliamentarians and journalists made these sessions particularly informative. Equally valuable were the formal and informal exchanges with people from other countries who have responsibilities similar to my own. By comparing experiences, we learned how others have addressed the challenges we share.