Summary of the Meeting of the National Security Transparency Advisory Group (NS-TAG) – September 29, 2021

Held via Videoconference

Members Present:

• Bessma Momani
• Daniel Jean
• Dominic Rochon (co-chair)
• Harpreet Jhinjar
• Jillian Stirk
• Justin Mohammed
• Jeffrey Roy
• Khadija Cajee
• Mary Francoli
• Thomas Juneau (co-chair)

Members Absent:

• Michèle Audette

Meeting Theme:

• “Connecting with Diverse Communities: Enhancing How National Security Organizations Engage, Build Trust, and Evaluate Success” – Part Three

Invited Guests and Speakers:

• René Ouellette – Director General of Academic Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement, CSIS
• Tony Lynch – Deputy Chief Executive National Security, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet High, New Zealand

National Security Community Members Present (as observers):

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Department of National Defence (DND), Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis of Canada (FINTRAC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Public Safety Canada (PS), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Transport Canada (TC), Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS).

Agenda:

• Opening of the Meeting, Roll Call and Updates
• Discussion Session with Guest Speakers: “Connecting with Diverse Communities: Enhancing How National Security Organizations Engage, Build Trust, and Evaluate Success” – Part Three
• Closing Remarks

Meeting Summary:                  

The thirteenth virtual NS-TAG meeting took place on September 29, 2021, on the theme of “Connecting with Diverse Communities: Enhancing How National Security Organizations Engage, Build Trust, and Evaluate Success – Part Three”. The first speaker presented the work of the Academic Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement team at CSIS and the current challenges faced by the service regarding stakeholder engagement. The second guest speaker presented the main conclusions of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques on March 15, 2019.

Key Takeaways of the Discussion Session with the Guests

Discussion Session with René Ouellette

• M. Ouellette presented the work of the Academic Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement team at CSIS, and reiterated the importance for CSIS to build trust and establish relationships with diverse Canadian communities.
• The security environment in Canada has evolved. In addition to the traditional threats of state-sponsored espionage targeting sensitive Government of Canada information, foreign actors increasingly target the private and academic sectors, and also seek to influence Canadians’ confidence in their public institutions. CSIS remains focused on protecting Canadians - particularly those most vulnerable to foreign interference and coercion - and the integrity of the public institutions that Canadians rely upon to ensure the health of our democracy.  
• Building trust takes time and CSIS recognizes that key elements in that process include actively listening to stakeholders, engaging transparently, acknowledging difficult issues, and facilitating reciprocal exchanges in order to learn from stakeholder experiences and better inform CSIS actions and responses.
• It is essential to respect different cultures when engaging with diverse communities to demonstrate support and to build trust. CSIS is implementing innovative ways to engage with communities. For example, CSIS has translated certain documents (i.e., fact sheets and backgrounders) into different languages to ensure communities feel seen and can understand national security threats in their first languages.
• CSIS recognizes and appreciates that members of some communities are reluctant to engage with CSIS. Communities want more than awareness-raising activities. For example, they want better information on how things work, on authorities and on how CSIS uses its powers. CSIS is committed to building meaningful, reciprocal and sustained relationships, and recognizes that transparency, candour, and self-reflection are critical to any success in this regard.
• CSIS acknowledges that systemic racism and bias require concerted efforts to uproot; and that modernized recruitment and training policies are essential to ensuring that it is creating a more diversified workforce and fostering a more inclusive environment that meets the expectations of what Canadians demand of their national intelligence service.
• In response to a question on the importance of the terminology that is used to describe threats, CSIS highlighted the importance of open and sustained engagement with various communities to receive feedback on the impact of its communications and outreach strategies. This helps CSIS refine its communication methods to ensure they are appropriate, respectful, and effective.
• In response to a question regarding the issue of recruitment, the Service discussed some of its public engagement activities, which included presentations at universities across Canada and participation in seminar and class discussions, primarily in the social sciences, but also in computer science and engineering. Staff members made presentations at approximately 20 universities in eight provinces, where they discussed CSIS’s work and how to join the organization.
• In response to a question about the importance of transparency to successful public engagement approaches, CSIS acknowledged that it can be challenging at times given legal restrictions around its ability to share sensitive or classified information, but noted that there is much available in the public realm that CSIS has drawn from to help better contextualize and sensitize Canadians on the nature of the threat environment.
• CSIS recognizes that stakeholder engagement, particularly with Canadians from racialized communities, is a complex undertaking. It believes that the modern threat environment requires a national response that draws Canadians from all communities – particularly those who may have traditionally been, or felt, excluded - into important conversations on how best to protect and advance Canada’s national security interests. To this end, CSIS is grateful for NS TAG’s expertise, advice and recommendations.

Discussion Session with Tony Lynch

• M. Lynch introduced the conclusions and recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques on March 15, 2019. The Commission was created within 10 days following the attack and aimed to assess whether the Government of New Zealand could have prevented it. The report found a systemic failing of allocation of resources and deficiencies with respect to social cohesion. The recommendations cover four main areas:

• New Zealand’s counter-terrorism efforts
• New Zealand's firearms licensing system
• Ongoing recovery needs of affected whānau (family), survivors and witnesses
• Implementation

• The Government of New Zealand conducted consultations following the publication of the report with impacted communities, including Muslim and other groups. The Muslim communities in New Zealand reiterated the importance of including other communities in the consultation process to not label the attack as an attack on Muslims solely, but an attack that impacted all communities. The main objective of these consultations was to listen to key concerns from communities on the recommendations of the report. The Prime Minister of New Zealand was involved in the consultation process, and the feedback gathered helped guide the government’s application of the recommendations.
• Community outreach by the Government of New Zealand focuses on enhancing social cohesion as well as addressing hate speech and hate crime. Key lessons learned on outreach included:

• Building trust with different communities is a long process and engagement is a long-term commitment. Trust can dissipate quickly.
• Grievances can remain in the DNA of communities for years.
• It is important to maintain continuity and consistency when engaging with communities.
• There is no single voice. Leaders do not equal communities. It is also important to have in mind that some communities are not present on, or cannot be engaged via, social media.
• It is key to reach out to diverse communities in the aftermath of any attack.

• Other key observations on engagement included:
• It is important to recognize that people want to see themselves in the government workforce.
• There is no zero-risk around terrorism.
• People must have the confidence to go to someone to express concerns.
• It is central to better inform the public and share what can communities do to respond to situations.

• A key component of New Zealand’s counter-terrorism strategy is to build a resilient society. Investing in social cohesion is fundamental.
• The Government of New Zealand is also committed to enhancing transparency with the Official Information Act. The Act adopts a proactive release approach by allowing anyone who is in New Zealand to request any official information held by government agencies. The speaker reiterated the importance for communities to understand that their contributions and engagement on national security matters help make New Zealand a safer and more inclusive country.