Accessibility Action Plan Progress Report

December 2024

General

The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (Secretariat) developed its Accessibility Action Plan in 2022 pursuant to the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). The Secretariat committed to ensuring that barriers to accessibility within its responsibility and control are identified and addressed.

This progress report provides a summary of the progress made to date in implementing the Accessibility Plan since its operation.

The Secretariat’s Manager, Corporate and Administrative Services is designated to receive feedback on barriers and the organization’s accessibility plans. You can submit feedback and request copies of the accessibility plan, progress report and feedback process description in an alternate version by:

• Email: Secretariat@nsicop-cpsnr.gc.ca
• Telephone: (613) 948-4239
• Mail: P.O. Box 8015, Station T, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 5A6

You can provide contact information or submit feedback anonymously. The Secretariat will acknowledge receipt in the same way the feedback was received and respond directly to feedback if contact information is provided unless it was received anonymously.

Employment

The Secretariat is comprised of ten full-time equivalents with diverse backgrounds, professional experiences and competencies and an appropriate mix of research and analytical skills. It is committed to providing persons with disabilities equal and equitable opportunities to participate in its work.

Over the past year, the Secretariat:

• Continued to support employees in requests for specialized equipment and accommodations;
• Ensured that equity and inclusion considerations are included in human resources processes, including offering accommodation at the assessment stage and considering recourse to applicable inventories and programs.

The Built Environment

The Secretariat’s workplace is in a base-building entirely leased by the Government of Canada. Neither the building nor the office space is accessible to the public. Due to the Secretariat’s small size, it does not receive Public Service Employee Survey results, including those relating to the feedback of employees regarding the physical environment.

No accessibility issues in the built environment have been reported to date. This notwithstanding, work to identify barriers and solutions to accessibility in the built environment, and in particular the Secretariat’s dedicated office space, is ongoing.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

The Secretariat does not procure its own ICT products and services. Secretariat employees perform the majority of their information technology-enabled functions using Canada’s Top Secret Network, which is managed by the Communications Security Establishment. The Secretariat cannot modify its features or functions.

Communication

The Secretariat prepares both internal and external communications materials. The Secretariat’s Government of Canada public-facing website conforms to the Treasury Board Standard on Web Accessibility. The Secretariat’s published content is in HTML and PDF formats and alternate formats are available by request, including print copies. Other options may be available in the future. The Secretariat also manages NSICOP’s public-facing website.

In 2024, the department:

• Reviewed reports and external communications prior to publication to ensure, to the extent possible, the use of plain language.  

Procurement

The Secretariat has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Privy Council Office in relation to its internal services, which includes procurement. The Privy Council Office reports separately on its accessibility commitment in relation to procurement.

Design and delivery of programs and services

The Secretariat does not provide direct services or programs.

Transportation

The Secretariat is not involved in any transportation activities.

Consultations

Due to the small size of the Secretariat, the Privy Council Office, which provides many of the Secretariat’s internal services pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding, shared its initial internal consultations.

In 2024, the Secretariat continued collaborating with other small departments in the security and intelligence realm to determine how best to jointly leverage consultation with external subject matter advisors, given our small sizes.

Feedback

The Secretariat did not receive any feedback during the reporting period.