Complaints

The Commissioner's mandate includes undertaking any investigation deemed to be necessary in response to a complaint in order to determine whether Communications Security Establishment (CSE) has engaged, or is engaging, in unlawful activity

Before acting on a complaint, the Commissioner must be satisfied that the complaint is not trivial, frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith, and that an investigation is warranted. The Commissioner can choose not to investigate a complaint if other means exist under law to deal with that complaint. Such complaints may be referred to the appropriate authorities.

In his annual report, the Commissioner reports on the complaints received during the year, how they were resolved, and how many are outstanding.

Please follow this link for more about the complaints procedure.

Because a complaint may contain sensitive information, complaints are accepted only by mail, addressed to the Commissioner, at the following address:

Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
P.O. Box 1474, Station B
Ottawa, ON K1P 5P6
Canada