ISS > 65th ANNIVERSARY > MESSAGE FROM THE CIISD A/DIRECTOR

CELEBRATING 65 YEARS

• Historical Perspective
  
• A message from the Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Government Information Services, Jane Meyboom-Hardy
  
• A message from the ISS Director General, Gerry Deneault
  
• A message from the CIISD Acting Director, Albert Bissonnette
  
• A message from the CGD Director, Peter Hull
  
• A message from the PHSD Acting Director, Cynthia Armstrong
  
• A fine balance — ISS helps to safeguard national security, spur economy (an article from Doing Business with PWGSC – Summer 2006)
  

Message from the Acting Director of the CIISD, Albert Bissonnette

I am pleased to witness the 65th anniversary of what has become the Industrial Security Program. As you may know, its following the directive from the Deputy Minister of the time that the Industrial Security Program began implementing several activities that still exist today. They include:

 Providing security clauses in contracts
 Providing security-related literature to our clients
 Conducting security-related inspections
 Preparing recommendations to correct security weaknesses
 Follow-up to ensure the recommendations are implemented

At the outset, security clearances for industrial security activities as we know them today were not being conducted. That changed in August 1941. The Department undertook to take photographs and fingerprints of all employees and they had to display their special passes every time they entered or left a facility. Every access and egress activity was monitored and an RCMP constable as well as a member of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires ensured the rules were enforced.


The number of important factories in mid-August of 1941 numbered over 500 and employed over 500,000 people. Today, 65 years later, we have over 5,800 companies registered in our Industrial Security Program and directly support over $26 billion dollars in economic activity. It makes us all proud to see the ISS team as a key player in the economic prosperity of our country.