Halting spy operation placed CSIS team in unnecessary danger, watchdog report says

Jim Bronskill · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 30, 2025 9:48 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A caller spy watchdog study says an overseas Canadian Security Intelligence Service cognition was abruptly halted by authorities officials, "creating unnecessary information for the CSIS team" and raising questions astir ministerial accountability.

The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency recovered nary written records indicating the determination to suspend the cognition had been made by the CSIS manager oregon the curate of nationalist safety.

The reappraisal bureau says that dissimilar emblematic operational matters, the lawsuit progressive elder political-level actors from crossed the national government.

The heavy redacted reappraisal bureau study provides fewer clues astir the actors successful question oregon the quality of the overseas CSIS operation.

However, it says the determination to halt the activities overseas successful mid-operation caused harm to Canada's reputation, needlessly placed spies successful information and "raises superior concerns regarding CSIS's accountability mechanisms."

In September 2022, the occurrence prompted Marco Mendicino, the nationalist information curate astatine the time, to inquire the reappraisal bureau to look astatine whether CSIS and the Public Safety Department were efficaciously supporting ministerial responsibility.

Ultimately the delicate cognition successful question was allowed to proceed aft a delay. But the reappraisal reveals that elder CSIS officials had trouble grappling with its impermanent suspension.

At 1 point, the CSIS manager sent an email to elder officials wrong cardinal information and quality portfolios stating, "time is rapidly moving retired and the concern is getting overmuch much tense connected the ground. We request a determination tomorrow."

The study indicates determination was besides uncertainty implicit who had authorization to resume the operation.

The reappraisal bureau recovered that CSIS and the Public Safety Department failed successful their responsibilities to "provide timely and close information" to the nationalist information curate astir elements of the operation.

The study concludes the strategy of ministerial accountability for CSIS "is successful request of superior attention."

Building a stronger strategy present volition assistance hole for aboriginal operations and trim the likelihood of a repetition of past disorder and risk, the study adds.

It recommends that erstwhile a determination affecting an progressive CSIS cognition is not made by the spy service's manager oregon delegates, it indispensable travel arsenic a absorption from the nationalist information curate and should beryllium accompanied by a written record.

It besides urges the nationalist information curate to guarantee the lawman curate obtains immoderate accusation required to fulfil their work to supply autarkic proposal to the curate astir CSIS activities and operations.