Announcement of 2010-2011 Annual Report

OTTAWA - Commissioner's report on reviewing the Communications Security Establishment Canada's (CSEC) activities is tabled in Parliament.

July 20, 2011 – The Annual Report of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner was tabled in Parliament today by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. The Commissioner's report outlines his activities during the fiscal year 2010-2011.

The Commissioner, the Honourable Robert Décary, Q.C., retired Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal, was appointed on June 18, 2010. The Commissioner's principal mandate is to review the activities of the Communications Security Establishment Canada, to ensure they are in compliance with the law and that CSEC takes measures to protect the privacy of Canadians.

"My reviews contain recommendations aimed at strengthening compliance and accountability, and at reducing the risk to privacy", said the Commissioner.

Commissioner Décary noted that the activities he reviewed during the 2010-2011 fiscal year - including those related to information technology security and foreign signals intelligence collection - complied with the law.

In total this year, the Commissioner made four recommendations. CSEC has demonstrated that it takes the Commissioner's recommendations seriously, accepting and implementing 94% of the 129 recommendations made since the Office was established in 1996.

The Commissioner concluded the 2010-2011 report by noting that he is hopeful that the longstanding need to amend the National Defence Act, to eliminate ambiguities, will soon be addressed by Parliament.

The report is available at www.ocsec-bccst.gc.ca/ann-rpt/index_e.php

For more information, please contact:

J. William Galbraith
Executive Director
Office of the CSE Commissioner
(613) 992-3044