24 August 1977
INTELLIGENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SIGINT MEMORANDUM NO. 1 (IAC/S #1)
CONTROL OF SIGNAL INTELLIGENCE (SIGINT) IN CANADA
I. Policy Control of SIGINT in Canada
1. The control of Canadian SIGINT is vested in the
Interdepartmental Committee on Security and Intelligence (ICSI),
under the general direction of the Cabinet Committee on Security
and Intelligence. The ICSI maintains general policy control over
all aspects of the collection, processing and dissemination of
SIGINT and exercises this control through the Intelligence Advisory
Committee (IAC) for national SIGINT, and the Canadian Forces for
tactical COMINT and ELINT.
2. The IAC is responsible to the ICSI for the execution of all
policy matters with regard to national SIGINT, [three-and-a-half
lines deleted] and for supervision of the security policy governing
SIGINT. The IAC also co-ordinates the Canadian SIGINT program with
other national intelligence activities and formulates guidance,
requirements and priorities for the provision of SIGINT product.
II. Definitions
Communications Intelligence (COMINT)
3. Technical and intelligence information derived from COMINT
activities performed on foreign communications [one-and-a-half
lines deleted];
4. COMINT activities are those activities which produce COMINT by
the collection and processing of foreign communications passed by
radio, wire and other electromagnetic means: by the study of
foreign communications systems; [some text deleted];
5. [Paragraph deleted];
6. [Paragraph deleted].
Electronics Intelligence (ELINT)
7. Technical and intelligence information derived from the
collection and analysis of foreign non-communications
electromagnetic emissions (e.g. radar, navigational aids and
jamming signals).
Telemetry Intelligence (TELINT)
8. Technical and intelligence information derived from the
collection and analysis of foreign instrumentation signals.
Signal Intelligence (SIGINT)
9. All processes involved in, and information and technical
material derived from, the interception and study of foreign
communications and non-communications electromagnetic emissions.
The term embraces COMINT, ELINT and TELINT.
III. The National SIGINT Centre
10. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) of the
Department of National Defence has been established as the Canadian
National SIGINT Centre, and has been given the responsibility for
providing SIGINT to meet the needs of the Federal Government.
Current user requirements are provided bilaterally or through the
IAC.
...
Source: Kevin O'Neill, ed., History of CBNRC, 1987,
Chapter 2, Annex G (IAC SIGINT Memorandum No. 1, CONTROL OF SIGNAL
INTELLIGENCE (SIGINT) IN CANADA, 24 August 1977), released in
severed form under the Access to Information Act.
