This is an article on intelligence agencies in Canada. There are a quite a number of intelligence agencies in Canada including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Communications Security Establishment, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Department of National Defense — Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch — and the Privy Council Office. However there is no Canadian intelligence service responsible for collecting intelligence and performing actions — legal or not — in foreign countries. The House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs recommended to the government that a review of the security and intelligence committee be called. This resulted in the same response the government has been giving for years. The government said that the community has "enhanced since 9/11" and that foreign intelligence is "currently available from the Communications Security Establishment, from the Department of Foreign Affairs, and from Canada’s allies". The government also stated that:
- "The issue of a foreign intelligence service arises from time to time. It is healthy to
- examine this idea and to assess the adequacy of our intelligence capabilities and
- products … At present, the Government believes that the establishment of a separate
- Canadian foreign intelligence agency would be premature. (Canada 2002k)"
The intelligence community of Canada is mostly focused on domestic threats rather than foreign threats. It is this that has made Canada and espionage hot-spot. In a world where neither travel, commerce, communication, and especially conflict, are domestic, more and more talks are being aroused on the topic of foreign intelligence.
Major agencies
Communications Security Establishment
The Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) also known as the Canadian Security Establishment is the national signal intelligence (SIGINT) service of Canada. Created in 1946, CSEC is responsible for intercepting, analyzing, disseminating and reporting foreign communications intelligence to government agencies as well as foreign consumers (ECHELON). The Canadian Forces Supplementary Radio System, however, is responsible for the actual collection of communications. CSEC is located within the portfolio of the Department of National Defence.
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is the domestic intelligence service of Canada. It is responsible for providing timely, actionable information to the government of Canada. The agency collects intelligence by both overt and covert means. Created in 1984, The agency's predecessor, RCMP Security Service, came under much controversy after a commission appointed by the government to review the services activities released the the security service had been involved in a series of brake-ins and other activities that a police agency should not be involved in . It was recommended by that commission that a separate agency and thus the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. It was also recommended that a review body, Security Intelligence Review Committee, be created.
The Government of Canada recently expanded the mandate of CSIS to include being involved in foreign intelligence operations. This was done after Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a promise to create a foreign intelligence agency but had a change of heart.
Intelligence Branch (Canadian Forces)
The Intelligence Branch of the Canadian Forces (Int Branch) formerly known as the Canadian Intelligence Corps (C Int C) and the Canadian Corps of Guides is the main defence intelligence service in Canada. Formed on October 29th 1982, the branch is responsible for providing defense executives with timely and orrent information for the carrying out of defence policy. The badge of the Int Branch embodies the North Star symbol (which was also used in the badge for the C Int C) and the compass rose shape of the badge shows the world-wide scope of the Int Branch.
The motto of the Intelligence Branch is E Tenebris Lux which, when translated, reads From darkness, light. The March of the branch is Eine Kleine Nacht Musik which, when translated, is A Little Night Music which was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
RCMP Security Service
The RCMP Security Service was the main domestic intelligence and security service in Canada. It was disbanded in 1984 and replaced with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service after the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP historically known as the McDonald Commission investigated the activities of the service and recommended to the government that a separate agency be created to handle the security intelligence matters of Canada.
References
See also
Retrieved from :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_in_Canada
