CSIS- Canada's CIA?

I was just wondering if Canada has anything like the CIA. A quick search found this Wiki:

en.wikipedia.org...

It says among other things:

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) (French: Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité) (SCRS) is the primary intelligence agency of the Canadian government. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing and reporting intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.[1]

Its headquarters are located at 1941 Ogilvie Road, in Ottawa, Ontario, in a purpose-built facility completed in 1995.[2] CSIS (pronounced /ˈsiːsɪs/) is responsible to Parliament through the Minister of Public Safety, but is also overseen by the Federal Court system, the Inspector General of Canada, and the Security Intelligence Review Committee.

History

CSIS was created on June 21, 1984 by an Act of Parliament passed as a consequence of the McDonald Commission.

The Wikipedia article really isn't all that informative though- no shocker there. I'm wondering if anyone knows something of these "operations, covert and overt." I'm also wondering if the CSIS has been involved in "shenanigans" like the analogous CIA (among others and MI5/6) have worldwide.

For that matter- is MI5/6 active in Canada?

Any input from our friends north of the border is appreciated here.

edit: I did find this older thread here but not much else in a search of ATS.

Greetings from a canadian Intel Officer
www.abovetopsecret.com...

There was also a mention of "ECHELON" at that WikiPage, so I'm guessing that CSIS must also work with NSA.

[edit on 18-10-2009 by rhunter]

Im a Canadian and info about them is scarce. Ill do my best to dig some stuff up. Its not common knowledge here.

www.csis-scrs.gc.ca...

They have recruiting sessions here I got interviewed. I guess its sort of like the CIA but like others said it is secret stuff, they told me they deal mostly with terrorist stuff like surveillance and border security, especially northern because it is so hard to monitor.

If you are looking for 'subversive agents' then you want to look for the JTF-2, they are like the FSK hire from within and all that. They are equivalent.

This is an interesting page

www.csis-scrs.gc.ca...

Yes, CSIS operates much like the CIA in the states, only it has legal authority to engage within the Canadian borders. To my understanding CSIS engages primarily in intelligence gathering, given that the RCMP is active much like the FBI would be. I cannot imagine that the kinds of ops that CSIS would be involved in would rival that of MI5/6 or the CIA giving budgetary limits.

Originally posted by rhunter
I was just wondering if Canada has anything like the CIA. A quick search found this Wiki:

en.wikipedia.org...

It says among other things:

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) (French: Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité) (SCRS) is the primary intelligence agency of the Canadian government. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing and reporting intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.[1]

Its headquarters are located at 1941 Ogilvie Road, in Ottawa, Ontario, in a purpose-built facility completed in 1995.[2] CSIS (pronounced /ˈsiːsɪs/) is responsible to Parliament through the Minister of Public Safety, but is also overseen by the Federal Court system, the Inspector General of Canada, and the Security Intelligence Review Committee.

History

CSIS was created on June 21, 1984 by an Act of Parliament passed as a consequence of the McDonald Commission.

The Wikipedia article really isn't all that informative though- no shocker there. I'm wondering if anyone knows something of these "operations, covert and overt." I'm also wondering if the CSIS has been involved in "shenanigans" like the analogous CIA (among others and MI5/6) have worldwide.

For that matter- is MI5/6 active in Canada?

Any input from our friends north of the border is appreciated here.

edit: I did find this older thread here but not much else in a search of ATS.

Greetings from a canadian Intel Officer
www.abovetopsecret.com...

There was also a mention of "ECHELON" at that WikiPage, so I'm guessing that CSIS must also work with NSA.

[edit on 18-10-2009 by rhunter]

You must be another naive American.

Hmmm?

Yes, the Canadian government has extensive worldwide internal and external security systems that are not only highly effective, they obviously work very closely with all levels of the US Government and others.

Have you ever heard of NORAD?

Welcome to the Great White North.

[edit on 19-10-2009 by leo123]

CSIS is more of a internal threat and foreign gathering service.

The RCMP deal with domestic gathering and the Military has it's own intel service to gather data on foreign militaries. I think the Military one does mostly non hands on gathering (ie they don't have agents in other countries) they use CSIS for that data.

Hello...
Yeah, CSIS is supposedly our "Intelligence" agency. It was originally composed of former RCMP officers, prospects and military personnel. Recruitment has been on an ongoing basis from various departments of "external affairs", universities, military and private industry.
The organization has not been without controversy since it's beginning. Problems have surfaced through serious gaps in information sharing within it's own departments, with both federal departments and local and federal law enforcement agencies.
"Agents" have habitually lost or misplaced laptops, classified information and have made laughable errors in some of their public disclosures since their beginnings.
I'm sure they are involved with their U.S and British counterparts like any child learning how to ride a bike.
It also seems to me that I read somewhere that they were at one time, somehow involved with the Israeli intelligence community. ( I remember that this raised some concern with me at the time.)

Originally posted by Retorque
It was originally composed of former RCMP officers, prospects and military personnel.

Um no... it started as a service SEPARATE from the RCMP, as some groups expressed there would be trouble having it cross with the police force. It was supposed to be a civilian force.

In August 1981, the federal government announced that a security intelligence service, separate from the RCMP, would be created.

The establishment of a civilian security intelligence service came with the findings and recommendations of the McDonald Commission.

Recruitment has been on an ongoing basis from various departments of "external affairs", universities, military and private industry.

They dont go looking for people, you apply like any job, I suppose if someone is well known in the military they might be interested but they certainly dont go to a university and select you. You have to pass all their tests and such including top secret clearance.

It also seems to me that I read somewhere that they were at one time, somehow involved with the Israeli intelligence community. ( I remember that this raised some concern with me at the time.)

CSIS now has relationships with more than 200 agencies worldwide

No kidding... and then add every other country
you might want to try starting here

As I stated.... "former RCMP"... and yes, I know that as "fact.

Ridhya... with all" due" respect...

Copy and paste from a website doesn't constitute all knowledge of a given subject.
All I am saying is what I have come across in countless hours of research on various subjects related to security and international affairs, having attended University Lectures on said subject matter and have spoken one on one with members.
Yes, there are many countries that CSIS is affiliated with, but there were/had specific training in "counter-intel from the Israelis.

That's all I have to say, as I know it.

CSIS is Canada's primary security agency. It is international and autonomous, just like CIA/FSB/Mossad etc. This means that Canada, like every other civilized country in the world, has operatives working all over the world for the glory of our country. The only thing that CSIS has to do with NSA is that it has operatives in it.

ECHELON is an international agency involving CANZUKAS. It has little to do with CSIS.

Canada also has a few other secret organizations too... not so much secret in their existence as opposed to what they actually do and as to who is really involved. Canada is the world's second largest country, we don't all stick close to the US border to share our secrets

By the way, is MI5/MI6 operating in Canada? I can only answer that by saying that there are spies everywhere in the world. Secret operations are half the battle as far as I am concerned. The only way you can stop a spy is by sniffing him/her out and shooting them, but not before interrogating them first in the most efficient manner.

As I stated.... "former RCMP"... and yes, I know that as "fact.

hahaha, sorry, I just had to say this. Please continue thinking that the idiots in the RCMP have something to do with our international intelligence service. The RCMP can barely even "protect and serve" the public, let alone the private

[edit on 20-10-2009 by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi]

CSIS used to be surprisingly low profile in Canada. Not so much anymore, but they are still pretty 'shadowy'. They seems to confine themselves with Canadians mostly, but CSIS doesn't have any set boundaries, none that they follow anyways.

The story behind the formation is kind of interesting - the RCMP used to do this work until they starting burning down buildings, stealing mail, forging documents, performing break and enters by the hundreds and framing people. Their inteligence duties got taken away from them and CSIS was formed.

[edit on 20-10-2009 by Duzey]

Originally posted by Retorque
It also seems to me that I read somewhere that they were at one time, somehow involved with the Israeli intelligence community.

They still might be, and if so seem to have no care about Mossad cells operating in Ottawa. I... actually think they have no idea about those, to be fair, so I can confidently rule out both cooperation and incompetency.

But yeah, they're pretty naive and somewhat careless. I overheard a group of fresh trainees at a diner one day discussing surveillance tactics when following a suspect. I mean, what the hell, can't you at least pick the corner of the restaurant to talk about that stuff? Lucky for them I wasn't an instructor. lol

[edit on 21-10-2009 by Lucidliving]

reply to post by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi


Gotta admit, I don't have much in the way of respect for the RCMP... For an agency that "use" to be held in such high regard, their recruitment changes over the past 20 or more years have collected a unit of "bullied" victims from adolescence that now carry guns and badges to exact revenge.
And with their "unionized" self-protection system, they aren't individually held accountable for their actions.
They have certainly been scraping the bottom of the barrel for many years, in my opinion.

reply to post by Retorque


I am biased against the RCMP for many reasons... one being that there was this one RCMP officer in my town who threw me on his truck and searched me a few times and even dumped out my beer on New Years (after I was unallowed at a party for being too badass)

The other being that the RCMP happen to be in charge of the firearms program. It's like what this one doctor told me, "firearms are just like drugs in Canada", meaning if you really wanted one you could get it anywhere at anytime but when it comes to firearms I want to have a legitimate collection. Thanks to some false police reports made about me during my highschool years, I am not allowed my firearms license and the RCMP who are in charge of this specially require me to do a lot of different and next to impossible things to get my license that I trained and paid for.

But I guess that's the Canadian government for you. If you happen to be a true and patriotic Canadian, then the government has an obligation to crap on your life because few Canadians seriously care about our backwards government

[edit on 22-10-2009 by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi]

Intelligence functions in Canada used to be the responsibility of the RCMP until it was felt, as other posters have pointed out, that a separate intelligence service was created. So CSIS was born out of taking the RCMP involved in intelligence work and throwing them in with a bunch of civilians. The early years saw CSIS existing as two groups (ex-RCMP and the not RCMP) not quite trusting each other. However, over the yers, the agency has matured and become quite effective.

One of its significant contributions was in 2003 when it declared the Iraq weapons of mass destruction "evidence" to be not credible (along with Canada's military intelligence) and advised the Canadian government to not join the invasion of Iraq.

CSIS does not engage in covert operations (wink wink) and functions as an intelligence service in the same tradition as the analysts at the CIA.

Now if you want a really secret shadowy Canadian security agency, then you have to check out the Communications Security Establishment or CSE, which is like the NSA north.

Originally posted by metamagic

One of its significant contributions was in 2003 when it declared the Iraq weapons of mass destruction "evidence" to be not credible (along with Canada's military intelligence) and advised the Canadian government to not join the invasion of Iraq.

Can't seen to edit my origial post but what I meant to say was...

One of its significant contributions was in 2003 when it (along with Canada's military intelligence) declared the Iraq weapons of mass destruction "evidence" to be not credible and advised the Canadian government to not join the invasion of Iraq.

[edit on 22-10-2009 by metamagic]

I seem to recall a short lived Canadian tv series about a CSIS agent working with a CIA agent. The running joke was that the CSIS agent had a Canadian budget so that , for example, when the pair went off to investigate something, the CIA agent would fly and the CSIS agent would have to take a Greyhound bus.

Someone help me remember what the name of that show was.

[edit on 22-10-2009 by metamagic]