Introduction

This is my seventh and final report as Commissioner of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), as my appointment will terminate in June 2003. It is also the first time since my initial appointment in 1996 that my review of CSE's activities and my annual report have been guided by legislation.

In my last report I pointed out that after more than a decade of debate about the pros and cons of enabling legislation for CSE, the tragic events of 11 September 2001 precipitated the introduction and passage of the omnibus Anti-Terrorism Act by Parliament. The resulting amendments to the National Defence Act, which came into effect on 24 December 2001, created a legislated mandate for CSE as well as for the CSE Commissioner. The new provisions of the National Defence Act enshrined in legislation the historical activities of CSE as well as the activities I had been carrying out since 1996, but they also introduced new elements. These are described more fully in the next section.

Much of this past year has been taken up with assessing the implications of my new duties and making a start on meeting the requirements of the legislation. As a result, it has been a year of much challenge and change for both CSE and my Office as we move toward a common understanding of our respective roles and responsibilities.

In this year's annual report I look back briefly on seven years of evolution and development in the Commissioner's role. I also report on the review activities and findings of my Office in 2002-03. These addressed CSE's two main programs (Signals Intelligence and Information Technology Security) as well as some of its other activities. Finally, I look forward to developments that are already on the horizon and to the appointment of my successor.