ABOUT US

Our Organization

The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) is a neutral agency whose mandate and sole program is to provide the administrative services required for the planning and the conduct of senior-level intergovernmental conferences. It was established pursuant to an agreement reached at the May 1973 First Ministers’ Conference and designated a department of the federal government by an Order-in-Council dated November 29, 1973.

The secretariat being truly intergovernmental in nature, both the federal and provincial governments share in its direction, finance and staffing; thus, making it an impartial agency at the service of 14 governments (federal, provincial and territorial).

In addition to acting as the permanent secretariat of the First Ministers Meetings (FMM), CICS offers its services to other meetings of First Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers both at the federal-provincial-territorial and provincial-territorial levels. The agency is available to any federal, provincial and territorial governments’ departments which may be called upon to organize and chair such meetings.

CICS offers a wide range of services to its clients, which can be selected according to the needs of each conference.

CICS assumes the costs of most of the services it provides.