Canada’s spy agency accused of ‘nabbing British children and trafficking them’ to Islamic State

Asked if CSIS went too far and if there would be an inquiry, Justin Trudeau said ‘rigorous oversight mechanisms’ monitor CSIS operations

Ottawa is accused of covering up its handling of a double agent who smuggled British teenagers into Islamic State territory to join the terror group while he was spying for Canada.

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, did not deny Ottawa’s work with an operative smuggling Western children to a dangerous battlefield, as outlined in a new book, saying that Canada’s spy agency must “be flexible and be creative” in the war against terrorists.

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CSIS was concerned about ̷e̷x̷t̷r̷e̷m̷i̷s̷m̷ uppity citizens in relation to trucker convoy, director says

 

CSIS was concerned by the threat of ideologically motivated, violent extremism and the potential for serious harmful acts in relation to the trucker convoy, says the head of the national intelligence agency.

David Vigneault, Canadian Security Intelligence Service director, told a special committee of parliamentarians examining the invocation of the federal Emergencies Act on Tuesday that this form of extremism, which he referred to as IMVE, represents a significant national-security threat.

… “IMVE is a threat that thrives on division and festers in the online space. But the hateful online rhetoric associated with these views is spilling over into the real world.”

In the leadup to the convoy, CSIS closely monitored known IMVE actors to assess any threat of serious acts of violence, Mr. Vigneault said, adding that this was informed by context. For example, he said, the intelligence agency has observed a rise in anti-authority, violent rhetoric, particularly in relation to pandemic public-health measures.


God Forbid anyone tells Junior where to stuff it. Vigneault is the most political of CSIS directors to date, dutifully criminalizing dissent on behalf of the Liberal Party. Go incognito.

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CSIS flags issues with U.S. intelligence prior to Jan. 6 riot, says it faces the same problems

Kool-Aid man busts a wall Gif - Gif Abyss

American intelligence agencies struggled with “inconsistencies” in their analysis and “a lack of consensus” on the nature of the threat in the weeks prior to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill, says an internal Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report.

That July 2021 briefing note — obtained by CBC News through an access to information request — also says that as CSIS pursues the threat of ideologically motivated violent extremism (IMVE) in Canada, it’s dealing with many of the same challenges its U.S. counterparts faced prior to the riot.

The July 2021 briefing note includes summaries drafted by CSIS officials of the U.S. Senate’s report on the attack on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021 and the U.S. national strategy for countering domestic terrorism.

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RCMP officers quit after being asked to arrest national security target with no details, report says

Information-sharing between intelligence officers and police needs an overhaul — and it could start with informing police of the reasons behind national security arrests — says a newly obtained internal report looking at the often fraught relationship between Canada’s spy agency and the RCMP.

In one instance, officers in one of the RCMP’s national security units quit their jobs after being asked to carry out an arrest without being told the reasons, says the redacted report, which was released through an access to information request.

The document is the end result of a behind-the-scenes review of how the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the national police force share information — or don’t.

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CSIS survey finds majority of Canadians leery of giving more powers to police, intelligence agencies

A poll commissioned by Canada’s spy agency early last year found that a slight majority of Canadians are opposed to expanding the powers of police and intelligence agencies.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service hired EKOS Research Associates to survey the public’s attitudes toward the agency, which is responsible for conducting foreign interference and influence operations, and for countering spying and terrorism.

When asked if police and intelligence agencies should have more powers to carry out security operations, even if the boost in authority came at the cost of personal privacy, 52 per cent of respondents said they disagreed with the idea. Another 32 per cent said they agreed, and 13 per cent said they neither agreed nor disagreed.

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Canada’s intelligence sector confronts climate change

CSIS Spy Umbrella fights climate change deniers

Since its birth during the Cold War, Canada’s spy agency has occupied itself with three primary threats: terrorism, espionage and foreign interference in domestic politics and business.

Now, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service is pointing to a disruptive new player on the field: climate change.

CSIS says it’s trying to get a handle on how climate change will disrupt national security. It has even acknowledged that effort publicly — something intelligence agencies rarely do.

Another budget ask.

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CSIS efforts to derail threats to 2019 election sometimes skirted law: watchdog

… The review agency’s legal assessment of the measures looked at requirements in the CSIS Act that the spy service have “reasonable grounds to believe that a particular activity constitutes a threat to the security of Canada” and that the measure be “reasonable and proportional in the circumstances.”

Most of the measures “satisfied the requirements of the CSIS Act,” the report says.

But in a “limited number of cases” the spy service’s inclusion of people “without a rational link” to the threat meant the measures “were not ‘reasonable and proportional’ as required under the CSIS Act.”

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New heads of Toronto CSIS office say they want to hire a more diverse group of spies

When Katherine Hannah and Zahra Musaji first started at the Canadian Security and Intelligence Agency back in 1999, they couldn’t have told you what colour the carpet was on the management levels.

Hannah said they were told at the time that women didn’t work in counterterrorism at CSIS — that they were supposed to work in human resources.

“There wasn’t a lot of diversity. It was hard to see how you fit,” said Musaji.

Funny, but I don’t feel safer.

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Canada’s spy agency CSIS gets go-ahead to use new overseas investigative powers

 

OTTAWA — For the first time, a federal judge has expressly granted Canada’s spy agency warrants to operate abroad even if it means breaking another country’s laws.

Federal Court Justice Simon Noel authorized warrants for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service five months ago, but public reasons in the top-secret matter were issued only this week.

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Canada spy agency unwittingly seeks double agent in Le Carré ad gaffe

For an intelligence agency seeking new recruits, the promises of adventure and intrigue found within the pages of famous spy novels might seem like a useful recruiting tool.

But promoting a double agent who lies to his family, betrays his country and ultimately takes his own life, is possibly not a strategy that will produce the best candidates.

Doh! – Hackers share details of Canadian military spy plane on dark web

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Secretive CSIS technology that could reveal ‘lifestyle choices’ needs a warrant, says court

Canada’s spy agency needs a warrant when using a secretive type of technology that could help them “learn about an individual’s private activities and personal choices” as part of its foreign intelligence gathering mandate, according to a recent Federal Court decision.

Details of what exactly that technology is and how it’s used were redacted in the June 2020 court ruling, which was posted online today.

The Federal Court’s findings would only say it concerns technology that allows the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to collect certain information from mobile devices.

Given Canada’s ruling class trends toward promotion of virtually any perversion you care to name I expect heterosexual monogamy and church attendance will be revealed as scandalous behaviors meriting state surveillance.

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Suspected RCMP secrecy breach fallout upgraded to ‘severe’: newly released documents

OTTAWA — New documents show Canada’s cyberspy agency was so alarmed by the potential fallout from an alleged secrecy breach by a senior RCMP employee that it revised a damage assessment to “severe” from “high” in the days after his arrest.

Cameron Jay Ortis was taken into custody in September 2019 for allegedly revealing secrets to an unnamed recipient and planning to give additional classified information to an unspecified foreign entity.

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Former FBI official says he had to call RCMP to arrest Jeffrey Delisle in Russian spy case

Former FBI official says Canada’s spy catching system caused delay, angst in Delisle case

“…CSIS watched Delisle pass top-secret information to Russia for months without briefing the RCMP. The spy agency, acting on legal advice, opted to keep its investigation sealed for fear of exposing sources and methods of the intelligence trade in open court proceedings.

“Someone had to call Canada’s cops. Strangely, that task went to me,” says Figliuzzi, who led the FBI’s counter-intelligence division as an assistant director.”

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