A Canadian Foreign Intelligence Service

[KevinB]

Bumpity bump…

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Paiamentarians is apparently studying Canada’s foreign intelligence collection capabilities and activities.

MPs, senators on intelligence committee scrutinize Canada's ability to spy overseas

OTTAWA — Parliamentarians are taking a hard look at Canada's overseas intelligence gathering capabilities as debate simmers over the need for a new foreign spy agency.

toronto.citynews.ca

Hopefully this pushes us in the direction of a foreign human intelligence service…

I would suggest you also need a way to do more than just HUMINT, including some things Canada doesn’t like to admit occurs in the world.
Sabotage and Assassination being things I think need to be available when needed.

 

[DBNSG]

I would suggest you also need a way to do more than just HUMINT, including some things Canada doesn’t like to admit occurs in the world.
Sabotage and Assassination being things I think need to be available when needed.

So sabotage and assassination does work in Canada every time the Leafs go on the ice

 

[brihard]

I would suggest you also need a way to do more than just HUMINT, including some things Canada doesn’t like to admit occurs in the world.
Sabotage and Assassination being things I think need to be available when needed.

If Canada wants to play in that space, legally it’s best done under the crown prerogative of national defence. Any foreign espionage agency is going to require statutory structure, and those activities aren’t something we can realistically write into law. They also aren’t actually ‘intelligence’ capabilities or activities. If those are really something Canada needs to consider doing in its national defence, I’d say stick to CANSOFCOM.

Note that this is an ‘if we must…’. I’m not ready to concede Canada should go there.

 

[KevinB]

If Canada wants to play in that space, legally it’s best done under the crown prerogative of national defence. Any foreign espionage agency is going to require statutory structure, and those activities aren’t something we can realistically write into law. They also aren’t actually ‘intelligence’ capabilities or activities. If those are really something Canada needs to consider doing in its national defence, I’d say stick to CANSOFCOM.

Note that this is an ‘if we must…’. I’m not ready to concede Canada should go there.

The reason I don’t think it’s a CANSOF role is you don’t yet have an off the books method for hiding military.
Even Assaulters at the Hill aren’t off the fully books.


You can’t send military personnel to do some of the things you may need to get done.

Spies are in a different position than soldiers.
Spies are invaders if they get caught.
Embarrassing yes, but not necessarily a war or grounds for one.

Perhaps Canadian External Security Service would be a better name.
Not solely Intelligence based then.

 

[brihard]

The reason I don’t think it’s a CANSOF role is you don’t yet have an off the books method for hiding military.
Even Assaulters at the Hill aren’t off the fully books.


You can’t send military personnel to do some of the things you may need to get done.

Spies are in a different position than soldiers.
Spies are invaders if they get caught.
Embarrassing yes, but not necessarily a war or grounds for one.

Perhaps Canadian External Security Service would be a better name.
Not solely Intelligence based then.

I think given how much of a political lift it would be to establish a clandestine foreign HUMINT capability, we should probably not let our eyes get bigger than our stomachs. Besides, I just don’t think there’s an appetite in cabinet for us as a country to engage in clandestine murder. I don’t see where it would likely serve our national interest commensurate with the risks.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

We don't have "double-O-agents", but we could continue to have double-doubles.

 

[OldSolduer]

Bumpity bump…

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Paiamentarians is apparently studying Canada’s foreign intelligence collection capabilities and activities.

MPs, senators on intelligence committee scrutinize Canada's ability to spy overseas

OTTAWA — Parliamentarians are taking a hard look at Canada's overseas intelligence gathering capabilities as debate simmers over the need for a new foreign spy agency.

toronto.citynews.ca

Hopefully this pushes us in the direction of a foreign human intelligence service…

I like your optimism.

WRT sabotage and assassinations I’d tread very very carefully.
The vast majority of the people would not like this.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I think given how much of a political lift it would be to establish a clandestine foreign HUMINT capability, we should probably not let our eyes get bigger than our stomachs. Besides, I just don’t think there’s an appetite in cabinet for us as a country to engage in clandestine murder. I don’t see where it would likely serve our national interest commensurate with the risks.

We were happy to teach spies

Camp X - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[daftandbarmy]

I think given how much of a political lift it would be to establish a clandestine foreign HUMINT capability, we should probably not let our eyes get bigger than our stomachs. Besides, I just don’t think there’s an appetite in cabinet for us as a country to engage in clandestine murder. I don’t see where it would likely serve our national interest commensurate with the risks.

Because we like to think we only do 'peacekeeping' spy work...