And whereas it is important that the communications security establishment carry out its activities in accordance with the rule of law and in a manner that respects the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ;
Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
Marginal note: Short title
1 This Act may be cited as the Communications Security Establishment Act .
Marginal note: Definitions
2 The following definitions apply in this Act.
means a Canadian citizen, a as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act or a corporation incorporated or continued under the laws of Canada or a province. ( Canadien )
means the Chief of the Establishment appointed under section 8. ( chef )
means the Intelligence Commissioner appointed under subsection 4(1) of the Intelligence Commissioner Act . ( commissaire )
means a person, group, trust, partnership or fund or an unincorporated association or organization and includes a state or a political subdivision or agency of a state. ( entité )
means the Communications Security Establishment established under section 5. ( Centre )
includes any of the following institutions of Parliament or the Government of Canada:
means information or intelligence about the capabilities, intentions or activities of a foreign individual, state, organization or terrorist group, as they relate to international affairs, defence or security. ( renseignement étranger )
includes electromagnetic emissions, any equipment producing such emissions, communications systems, information technology systems and networks, and any data or technical information carried on, contained in or relating to those emissions, that equipment, those systems or those networks. ( infrastructure mondiale de l’information )
means the Minister of National Defence or, if another federal minister is designated under section 4, that minister. ( ministre )
means information that has been published or broadcast for public consumption, is accessible to the public on the global information infrastructure or otherwise or is available to the public on request, by subscription or by purchase. It does not include information in respect of which a Canadian or a person in Canada has a reasonable expectation of privacy. ( information accessible au public )
means the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency established under section 3 of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act . ( Office de surveillance )
has the same meaning as in subsection 83.01(1) of the Criminal Code . ( groupe terroriste )
, with respect to information, means that the information is acquired, for technical or operational reasons, without the use of terms or criteria to identify information of foreign intelligence interest. ( non sélectionnée )
Marginal note: Principle
3 It is in the public interest to ensure that the Establishment may effectively carry out its mandate in accordance with the rule of law and, to that end, to expressly recognize in law a justification for persons who are authorized to carry out activities under this Act to, in the course of carrying out those activities, commit acts or omissions that would otherwise constitute offences.
Marginal note: Minister
4 The Governor in Council may, by order, designate any federal minister to be the Minister referred to in this Act.
Marginal note: Establishment established
5 The Communications Security Establishment is established.
Marginal note: Minister is responsible
6 The Minister is responsible for the Establishment.
Marginal note: Head office
Marginal note: Appointment
Marginal note: Chief’s powers, duties and functions
Marginal note: Establishment’s powers, duties and functions
10 The powers, duties and functions of the Establishment may be exercised or performed by any person who is appointed to serve in the Establishment in a capacity appropriate to the exercise of the power or the performance of the duty or function.
Marginal note: Directions by Minister
Marginal note: Personnel
Marginal note: Powers of the Chief
13 In exercising his or her authority under subsection 12(1), the Chief may
Marginal note: Negotiation of collective agreements
14 Before entering into collective bargaining with the bargaining agent for a bargaining unit composed of Establishment employees, the Chief must have the Establishment’s negotiating mandate approved by the President of the Treasury Board.
Marginal note: Mandate
Marginal note: Foreign intelligence
16 The foreign intelligence aspect of the Establishment’s mandate is to acquire, covertly or otherwise, information from or through the global information infrastructure, including by engaging or interacting with foreign entities located outside Canada or by using any other method of acquiring information, and to use, analyse and disseminate the information for the purpose of providing foreign intelligence, in accordance with the Government of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
Marginal note: Cybersecurity and information assurance
17 The cybersecurity and information assurance aspect of the Establishment’s mandate is to
Marginal note: Defensive cyber operations
18 The defensive cyber operations aspect of the Establishment’s mandate is to carry out activities on or through the global information infrastructure to help protect
Marginal note: Active cyber operations
19 The active cyber operations aspect of the Establishment’s mandate is to carry out activities on or through the global information infrastructure to degrade, disrupt, influence, respond to or interfere with the capabilities, intentions or activities of a foreign individual, state, organization or terrorist group as they relate to international affairs, defence or security.
Marginal note: Technical and operational assistance
20 The technical and operational assistance aspect of the Establishment’s mandate is to provide technical and operational assistance to federal law enforcement and security agencies, the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence.
Marginal note: Designation
Marginal note: No activities — Canadians and persons in Canada
Marginal note: Establishment’s activities
It does not include information that could be linked to an identifiable person. ( information sur l’infrastructure )
Marginal note: Measures to protect privacy
24 The Establishment must ensure that measures are in place to protect the privacy of Canadians and of persons in Canada in the use, analysis, retention and disclosure of
Marginal note: Technical and operational assistance activities
Marginal note: Foreign Intelligence Authorizations
Marginal note: Cybersecurity Authorizations — federal infrastructures
Marginal note: Approval of Commissioner
Marginal note: Defensive Cyber Operations Authorizations
Marginal note: Active Cyber Operations Authorizations
Marginal note: Activities authorized
31 Activities and classes of activities that an authorization issued under subsection 29(1) or 30(1) may authorize the Establishment to carry out may include any of the following:
Marginal note: Prohibited conduct
Marginal note: Applications for authorizations
Marginal note: Conditions for authorizations
Marginal note: Content of authorizations
35 An authorization issued under subsection 26(1), 27(1) or (2), 29(1) or 30(1) must specify
Marginal note: Period of validity of authorizations
Marginal note: Significant change — Minister to be notified
Marginal note: Repeal of authorization
38 The Minister may repeal an authorization issued under subsection 26(1), 27(1) or (2), 29(1) or 30(1) at any time.
Marginal note: Amendment
Marginal note: Emergency Authorizations
Marginal note: Commissioner and Review Agency notified
41 The Minister must notify the Commissioner and the Review Agency of any authorization issued under subsection 40(1) as soon as feasible after issuing it.
Marginal note: Period of validity of authorizations
42 An authorization issued under subsection 40(1) may be valid for a period not exceeding five days.
Marginal note: Canadian identifying information
43 The Establishment may disclose, to persons or classes of persons designated under section 45, information that could be used to identify a Canadian or a person in Canada and that has been used, analysed or retained under an authorization issued under subsection 26(1) or 40(1), if the Establishment concludes that the disclosure is essential to international affairs, defence, security or cybersecurity.
Marginal note: Cybersecurity and information assurance
Marginal note: Designated persons or classes of persons
45 The Minister may, by order, designate persons and classes of persons for the purposes of section 43 and subsection 44(1).
Marginal note: Urgent circumstances
Marginal note: Power exercised personally
47 The Minister must personally exercise the powers that are set out in subsections 26(1), 27(1) and (2), 29(1), 30(1), 36(2), 39(1) and 40(1).
Marginal note: Authorizations provided to Commissioner
Marginal note: No civil or criminal liability
49 No person who acts in accordance with an authorization issued under subsection 26(1), 27(1) or (2), 29(1), 30(1) or 40(1) or who aids, in good faith, a person who they believe on reasonable grounds is acting in accordance with such an authorization incurs any criminal or civil liability for anything reasonably done further to the authorization.
Marginal note: Exclusion of Part VI of Criminal Code
50 Part VI of the Criminal Code does not apply in relation to an interception of a communication under the authority of an authorization issued under subsection 26(1), 27(1) or (2), 29(1), 30(1) or 40(1) or in relation to a communication so intercepted.
51 No action lies under section 18 of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act in respect of
Marginal note: Report
53 Authorizations issued under subsection 26(1), 27(1) or (2), 29(1), 30(1) or 40(1) and orders made under section 45 are not statutory instruments within the meaning of the Statutory Instruments Act .
Marginal note: Arrangements
Marginal note: Prohibition on disclosure
Marginal note: Assistance or disclosure of information — no presumptions
56 The provision of assistance or the disclosure of information by the Establishment under this Act does not create a presumption
57 For the purposes of the Access to Information Act , if any , as defined in section 3 of that Act, of any other , as defined in that section, or of any other organization is contained in or carried on the Establishment’s information infrastructure on behalf of that institution or organization, the record is not under the Establishment’s control.
58 For the purposes of the Privacy Act , if any , as defined in section 3 of that Act, of any other , as defined in that section, or of any other organization is contained in or carried on the Establishment’s information infrastructure on behalf of that institution or organization, the personal information is not held by the Establishment and is not under the Establishment’s control.
Marginal note: Annual Report
59 The Establishment must, within three months after the end of each fiscal year, publish an annual report on its activities during that fiscal year.
Marginal note: Regulations
60 The Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Minister, make regulations for carrying out the purposes and provisions of this Act, including regulations