Global
BCCLA case shows how ignorant Canadians really are about CSIS
By Phil Gurskii July 22, 2019
CSIS is legislatively mandated to investigate threats to the security of Canada, defined under Sec. 2 of the CSIS Act, by the powers granted under Sec. 12. One of these threats is politically motivated violence. Is it possible that some of the opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline could have turned to violence? Absolutely, ergo CSIS did what we ask of it.
Protesters, pictured in Ottawa on Jan. 8, 2018, out in solidarity with Indigenous peoples who had been arrested at Wet’suwet’en camp in British Columbia. Canadians need to appreciate that CSIS acts as an 'early warning system' on threats to national security and public safety. It has a lower threshold of investigative power than law enforcement does. It collects intelligence, not evidence, and does so to keep up on what may morph into real threats to Canada. Everything it did in looking into the Northern Gateway protest movement was not only allowed, it was required, writes Phil Gurski. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade
OTTAWA—As spy agencies go, ours in Canada is not that different from others in the Western world. Okay, CSIS does not have the sexiness of MI6’s James Bond and may not overthrow regimes like the CIA does, but it does share many characteristics with its closest equivalents. It collects intelligence to advise governments. It tries its best to protect its sources and methods. It tends to operate in the shadows. And it does a poor job of explaining to Canadians why it does what it does. It is this latter trait that sometimes leads to problems.
Related Stories
Explore, analyze, understand
Democracy, Terrorism and Killer Robots: Embassy News covers the 2015 Halifax International Security Forum
The Halifax International Security Forum is one of the world’s biggest gatherings of defence and security leaders.
Get the book
The Halifax International Security Forum is one of the world’s biggest gatherings of defence and security leaders.
Get the book
Rural Broadband: The challenges and potential solutions
A guide to the problems, work done so far, the key players, and what needs to be done to get all Canadians access to broadband.
Get the book
A guide to the problems, work done so far, the key players, and what needs to be done to get all Canadians access to broadband.
Get the book
Election cybersecurity: a comprehensive look at the threats and solutions ahead of 2019
Election cybersecurity concerns in Canada.
Get the book
Election cybersecurity concerns in Canada.
Get the book
Related Policy Briefings
Agriculture Policy Briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Defence Policy Briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Canada-U.S. Relations
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Politics This Morning
Your email has been added. An email has been sent to your address, please click the link inside of it to confirm your subscription.
‘I felt silenced’: voices missing from Upper Chamber’s systemic racism debate, say some Senators, highlighting need for hybrid model
Senator Mobina Jaffer is among those who say the in-person-only approach to spring Senate sittings limited participation and worries it will remain in place when Parliament returns in September.Mounting deaths stemming from police wellness checks a ‘wake-up call,’ says Senator
‘We need to address poverty and support community programs to prevent many of the situations that police are being asked to handle with guns and handcuffs,' says NDP critic Don Davies.Backroom, Capitol Hill lobbying key to fighting possible return of tariffs, says MP Wayne Easter
'At least at this stage, it's better to work the backrooms, work the players that have some influence with the White House, and try to ensure that such a threat doesn't become a reality,' says Canada-U.S. group co-chair.‘Just not the same’: Parliamentarians plan Canada Day festivities around the COVID-19 pandemic
'We do not celebrate the existence of this country in the same way other people do, because we think that the existence of this country came at a price to our ancestors and to us,' says Senator Murray Sinclair.Transformative global pandemic could bring positive changes to society, but will require ‘an incredible amount of political will,’ say politicos, pollsters
The deeper the impacts of COVID-19, the more likely that major changes will occur in our society, says EKOS president Frank Graves.MacKay’s victory could be a ‘threat to the party unity,’ says Conservative MP Kusie
'Peter MacKay has a proven track record of uniting Conservatives, and that's precisely what he's doing in the leadership campaign. And that's what he'll do if he's elected as leader,' says Conservative MP Michael Cooper.Editorial independence assured, say Facebook and Canadian Press, amid launch of $1-million fellowship
A spokesperson for the heritage minister says 'we are currently looking at models adopted in other countries on appropriate remuneration of news content and will come back with new propositions in due course.' Human Rights Watch’s call to return Canadians detained in Syria is ‘complicated’ by suspected links to terrorism, says Trudeau
'We will continue to work through third parties to try and provide consular assistance to Canadians,' says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Federal, provincial watchdogs still waiting for full privacy assessment on national contact-tracing app
The Ontario privacy commissioner says he hasn’t seen the app in the final form ahead of the planned July 2 rollout, but is ‘satisfied that privacy is being properly considered.'Trending Stories
