NSIRA Deputy Heads Designation

Summary#

This is the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act Deputy Heads of the Federal Public Administration Order. It lists which senior public servants are to be treated as “deputy heads” for the purposes of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act, and it took effect on October 15, 2024 (registered in the Canada Gazette on October 23, 2024).

What it does#

• Designates the person who holds each listed senior position as the deputy head for that part of the federal public administration under the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act. The full list is in the order’s schedule and pairs portions of the public administration with specific positions (for example, the Governor of the Bank of Canada; the Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency; the President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post Corporation).
• Repeals the earlier Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act Deputy Heads of the Public Service of Canada Order.
• States the order’s effective date as October 15, 2024, unless it was made later, in which case it comes into force on the day it is made.

Who's affected#

• The people who hold the senior positions named in the order (for example, leaders of Crown corporations and federal agencies listed in the schedule).
• The public organizations named in the schedule (for example, Canada Border Services Agency, Correctional Service of Canada, Canadian Security Intelligence Service-related entities that were covered previously).
• The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), because the designation determines who NSIRA treats as deputy heads when it carries out reviews.
• Members of the public and organizations that interact with NSIRA reviews may be indirectly affected because the designation influences which officials NSIRA can treat as responsible contacts for review matters.

Why it matters#

• The order clarifies who counts as a “deputy head” for NSIRA’s work. That matters because NSIRA’s ability to request information and review activities tied to national security and intelligence depends in part on who it is allowed to treat as a deputy head.
• For people working in the listed organizations, this formal designation can affect who is expected to answer for an organization during NSIRA reviews or to coordinate information for those reviews.
• The change is mainly administrative and technical: it maps existing senior positions to a legal definition used by a federal review agency, rather than creating new programs or spending.