Evidence of meeting #34 for National Defence in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cse.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
Are you talking about the commissioner or the CSE?
4:10 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
About the CSE and your role as well. What is your role at that point?
4:10 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
My role is to ensure that, when the CSE carries on activities concerning the security of computer systems, nothing it does will interfere with the privacy of Canadians.
In technical terms, I'm not sure I could answer your question.
4:10 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
So you don't intervene directly with the various departments?
4:10 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
Absolutely not, no.
4:10 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
That's sort of what I wanted to understand with regard to your role.
4:10 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
No, absolutely not. I'm interested in the methods the CSE uses.
4:10 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
So you don't intervene either with regard to access to information requests.
4:15 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
Absolutely not.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
So the disclosure of information contained on tapes for the purposes—
4:15 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
Absolutely. All that is really specific to the CSE, which is subject to the customary rules, but that's not my field.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
With regard to security, earlier you said you were slightly intimidated by computers, given your age. You also said you work with former employees of the Office of the Auditor General and people from the Privy Council Office.
Can you explain to us a little about the composition of your team? I see you have a budget of approximately $1.5 million, including a payroll of approximately $900,000. Who makes up your team? How many people are there?
4:15 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
It consists of the executive director, an assistant executive director; a number of analysts, two individuals constitute the support staff. My per diem is nevertheless included in that—although that's not going to break the budget, I must say. And there are people who work on contract. As I said earlier, I have the power to hire people to work on contract if I feel I need additional staff and I can't find any permanent staff for the moment.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
I had a fear about the IT sector. In fact it was more a complaint. Technology is advancing quite quickly. I worked in the foreign affairs field, installing servers in all the departments, and I worked at Employment and Immigration Canada, in the international sector as well, installing computer systems. I know that the government put standards in place and soon realized that those standards were obsolete. The resources in the departments don't necessarily have all the security knowledge they currently need.
I'd like to have your office's diagnosis. Do the people who accompany you have high-tech training?
4:15 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
It's curious that you ask that question today because this week my office organized a training course for the analysts from the various security monitoring agencies in Canada. This is the first time this has been done, and it was my office that took the initiative to make people aware of the new methods for collecting, reporting and analyzing information.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
I've received comments from the industry to the effect that the various departments are currently in a situation where they're losing their best employees, people who are able to manage cyber attacks and all that. The private sector currently has a much more predominant role to play in that field.
Do you have an opinion on that point? Do you have any recommendations or reservations about the role the private sector could play in this area?
4:15 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
It might be premature for me to go into that right now. Perhaps I can get back to you on that in a few months.
4:15 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
Thank you.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maxime Bernier
Thank you, Mr. Décary. We do understand that you've just taken up your position. Perhaps the committee will invite you back in a few months or a few years.
In the meantime, I'm going to hand over to Mr. Boughen for five minutes.
November 18th, 2010 / 4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Ray Boughen Conservative Palliser, SK
Thank you, Chair.
Let me add my voice to that of my colleagues in welcoming you here, sir, and congratulating you on your new position.
I'm sharing my time, Chair, with LaVar.
In your role as commissioner, have you seen anything you can share with us in terms of trends in Canada? I'm thinking we've kind of left the farm; we've moved to the cities, and we're now into manufacturing. We have become a world leader in a number of areas. We're well respected militarily. Do you see anything that heads us in a certain direction, or do you see anything that for us as a country is developing into a certain societal strength or weakness? Are you free to comment on any of that?
4:15 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
At this point in my activities, I must say I haven't really had a chance to look into those questions. I'm not sure either of the extent to which my role as Commissioner would lead me to examine those assumptions.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Ray Boughen Conservative Palliser, SK
I guess I'm thinking you're pretty close to the action when you're a commissioner, with your field team and everything. I'm wondering if you see a trend evolving at all.
4:20 p.m.
Commissioner, Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner
What is certain is that there is a globalization of information, that there is an increased interdependence of information, of foreign intelligence, that there is an obvious need for cooperation with certain foreign entities and with entities in Canada.
In that sense, we are headed toward a world where we will have to try harder to harmonize efforts to prevent terrorism or activities that are harmful to Canada's security. And the little I have seen to date leads me to believe that we are headed toward a globalization of those functions.