Review of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces: Notification Letter

The Honourable David J. McGuinty, P.C., M.P

Minister

National Defence

Subject: Notification of NSIRA’s Departmental Activity Review of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces

Dear Minister McGuinty,

I am writing on behalf of the Members of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) to inform you that NSIRA has initiated a Departmental Activity Review (DAR) of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF).

This review is being conducted pursuant to paragraph 8(1)(a) of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act (NSIRA Act). The NSIRA Act grants NSIRA full and timely access to all information held by reviewed departments and agencies, including classified and privileged information, with the exception of Cabinet confidences.

The DAR model is similar to the Annual Review of Select Communications Security Establishment Activities previously conducted by NSIRA. The DND/CAF DAR will serve to provide NSIRA with foundational information about the national security and intelligence functions of the DND/CAF, which can then inform future dedicated reviews of specific activities. In addition, these annual reviews provide an opportunity to verify, on a select basis, the implementation of previous NSIRA recommendations.  

NSIRA will engage with your officials regarding this review. As the review progresses, NSIRA’s review team will be in regular contact with them with requests for information. Such requests may involve documents, system access, written explanations, briefings, interviews, surveys, and any other information that NSIRA determines to be of relevance to this review. This review may also include independent inspections of some technical systems. As part of the review process, NSIRA will seek and receive responses to any recommendations included in its report. NSIRA’s expectations for responsiveness are available online at https://nsira-ossnr.gc.ca.

I thank you in advance for your cooperation and support to the independent review process, which is key to transparency and democratic accountability.

Sincerely, 

The Honourable Marie Deschamps, C.C. 
Chair, National Security and Intelligence Review Agency