ARCHIVED – Annex 5-D: Arrangement for the hand carriage of classified/Protected B documents, equipment and/or components within Canada
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1. Special hand carriage arrangements may be approved to meet an urgent need for the transport of Protected B and classified documents in Canada, in connection with a Government of Canada project, program or contract. The company security officer (CSO) must approve each need on a case-by-case basis.
Note
The documentation necessary for the hand carriage is included as Appendix A to this annex and comprises:
2. The arrangements in this section apply to the hand carriage of Protected B and classified documents, equipment and/or components by an authorized individual only when they can maintain personal control over them at all times. The highest level of security must not exceed Protected B/Secret. The owning government or agency must authorize the release of the documents or equipment in conjunction with the project, program or contract.
3. The documents, equipment and/or components must be of such size, weight and configuration that they can be hand carried.
4. The authorized individual must be a permanent employee of the dispatching or receiving company.
5. The authorized individual must have been granted a reliability status/personnel security clearance to at least the level of the Protected B/classified document(s) which is/are to be hand carried.
6. Before the start of each journey, the CSO must brief the authorized individual on these arrangements. The authorized individual must read and sign the declaration indicating that they have been briefed and have read and understand the notes for the courier. A record that the authorized individual has signed the declaration must be maintained for a minimum of 12 months after each trip.
7. The authorized individual must be provided with a courier certificate and a copy of the notes for the courier.
8. The authorized individual must be made aware that the non-fulfilment of their obligation to safeguard the Protected B/classified information contained in the consignment entrusted to them and/or any other negligent action chargeable to them that gives rise to a security breach, will constitute not only a matter of contractual obligation but also a matter of possible penal responsibility. In the event of a breach by the individual, the dispatching organization must carry out an investigation and report their findings to the Public Services and Procurement Canada's (PSPC) Contract Security Program (CSP). Legal action may follow as appropriate.
9. Courier certificates must be numbered sequentially by the CSO for tracking purposes. The CSO may deliver to their alternate company security officer(s) (ACSO) a limited number of pre-numbered courier certificates, according to the foreseeable needs of the organization for a reasonable period of time, which the ACSO may personally authorize for use for hand carriage of documents.
10. At the end of each trip, the authorized individual must sign a post-trip declaration certifying that no situation occurred that may have compromised the security of the consignment during the journey.
11. The dispatching CSO must make out 3 copies of a receipt, listing the Protected B/classified documents to be hand carried by the authorized individual. The dispatching CSO must retain 1 copy and pack the other 2 copies with the Protected B/classified documents or equipment. The documents or equipment must be wrapped, sealed and placed in a container, approved by PSPC's CSP authorities, by or in the presence of the CSO or an ACSO.
12. In those cases where the authorized individual is merely acting as a courier, the addresses of the security officer of the receiving and dispatching organization must be shown on the inner and outer envelope or wrapping.
13. The security officer of the dispatching organization must obtain a receipt for the sealed packages from the authorized individual.
14. The authorized individual is responsible for the safe custody of the Protected B/classified documents and/or equipment until such time as they have been returned or handed to the CSO or a designated government representative and a receipt has been provided as evidence of delivery.
15. In those cases where the authorized individual is merely acting as a courier, the receiving CSO, or the designated government representative, must sign both copies of the receipt in the package. One copy must be returned to the courier. On their return, the authorized individual must provide the completed receipt to their CSO. The second copy of the receipt must be kept by the receiving CSO for a period of 2 years.
16. The receipt, which is packed with the Protected B/classified documents and/or equipment, must contain the following details, as applicable:
- exact description of the Protected B/classified documents and/or equipment (originating organization, date of issue, level of security, copy number, registry reference number and number of pages, including annexes), where applicable
- date and time of handing over of the package to the addressee
- name and position or appointment of the authorized individual that signed the receipt
- signature of the recipient
17. In those cases where the authorized individual is acting as a courier, the dispatching CSO must notify the receiving CSO or government representative of the anticipated date and time of their arrival. If the courier has not arrived within 8 hours of the expected time of arrival, the receiving CSO or government representative must conduct an initial investigation and notify PSPC's CSP if the reason for the delay cannot be determined.
18. Throughout the journey, the Protected B/classified documents/equipment must remain under the direct personal control of the authorized individual.
19. The authorized individual must comply with official requests to open Protected B/classified consignments by public officials (like RCMP or military police). When inspection is unavoidable, care must be taken to only show sufficient parts of the contents of the consignments to enable the officials to determine that the consignment does not contain any items other than those reported.
- In cases where the consignment is opened, to comply with a request by public officials, the courier must notify their CSO who must notify PSPC's CSP
- Under no circumstances must the consignment be surrendered to public officials
20. When carrying Protected B/classified assets under these arrangements, the courier must not travel by surface or air routes outside of Canada.