'Largely informal and ad hoc': Report on Global Affairs Canada from top-secret security committee

Parliament's top-secret national security committee says Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is lacking in consistent internal governance, especially when it comes to intelligence activities, which is leading to an "important gap in ministerial accountability."

The assessment is included in the latest annual report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), which states it's "identified significant weaknesses in (GAC's) internal governance of its foreign policy coherence role."

The 34-page report, released Wednesday, is a redacted version, while the full copy has been delivered to the prime minister.

The report states, among other findings related to GAC, that the department has appropriate consultation structures in place with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communications Security Establishment, but not so with the Department of National Defence or the Canadian Armed Forces.

In the latter cases, the report states, consultations are "largely informal and ad hoc," and "both organizations of been slow to respond to ministerial direction."

"For its international security programs, the department has strong governance mechanisms, including detailed policies, procedures and oversight committee structures," the report states. "For its most sensitive intelligence activities, the opposite is true: the department lacks policies, procedures or guidance documents, including for its role in requesting the collection of foreign intelligence within Canada or providing foreign policy risk assessments for CSIS and CSE activities."

The report also states the lack of clear and consistent governance structures leads to "an important gap in ministerial accountability," as it relates to "sensitive intelligence activities."

"The department has no requirements to report regularly to the minister of foreign affairs on the full spectrum of its national security and intelligence activities," the report states. "This gap raises concerns about the minister's awareness of the risk associated with the department's most sensitive activities on an ongoing basis, and undermines the minister's accountability for those activities."

The lack of communication and information-sharing echoes criticisms the federal government faced this spring, after it came to light that important information on foreign interference and public safety files did not make it to the ministers responsible.

NSICOP makes several recommendations to GAC as part of its report, including:

• "The minister of foreign affairs work with the minister of national defence to put in place proactive, regular and comprehensive consultation mechanisms to ensure that Canada's defence policies and military operations are aligned with its foreign policy objectives;
• The minister of foreign affairs provide written direction to the department on its national security and intelligence activities;
• The minister of foreign affairs put in place comprehensive governance mechanisms for the department's security and intelligence activities and for those that it supports or contributes to at partner organizations."

The report states the government and GAC "agree" with the committee's recommendations, and includes the department's response to each, for example, outlining existing reporting requirements and how various organizations work together.

The report also reiterates and provides status updates on its previous recommendations related to how the federal government can address foreign interference in Canada.

NSICOP has been reviewing the state of foreign interference in Canada since the committee first came together more than five years ago. The federal government has continuously said the group is best positioned to study the issue, amid mounting allegations of foreign interference in recent months.

The report also highlights the challenges it has faced obtaining information from various government departments — in some cases which later came out in media reporting — and states many of the committee's recommendations from previous reports have not yet been taken by the government.

With files from CTVNews.ca's Senior Digital Parliamentary Reporter Rachel Aiello