CIA operatives meets with Canadian intelligence in remote areas of the Great White North |
The Canadian CIA equivalent is the
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and CIA operatives often
meet in secret places in the Great White North where information is freely
given to the CIA for information from the U.S. that is important for Canada’s
national security. The CIA’s activity in Canada has the “general
consent" of the Canadian government. Interestingly, CIA operative trainees
often lurk the streets of Toronto, learning skills in foot and vehicle
surveillance. Traditionally Canada has never voiced any opposition to the CIA
operating within its borders, without official author authorization to do so.
After 9/11, Canada’s CSIS and the CIA began cooperating heavily
together. All of North America was reeling from the horrendous attacks, and the
two intelligence agencies joined together, desperately trying to figure out how
to deal with their vulnerabilities and in protecting the citizens of both
countries from another attack. Both Canada and the United States wanted the
RCMP, the FBI, the CIA, and CSIS to develop sources of information that would
allow the authorities to prevent a major future terrorist attack.
Like
the CIA, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, pronounced
“see-sis”) is an intelligence-gathering entity (It does spying!) and is not a
police agency like the FBI or RCMP – it has no power to arrest or detain and does
not enforce the Criminal Code or other laws. There is a large difference
between the law enforcement agencies of the FBI and RCMP, and
counterintelligence agencies like the CIA and CSIS. Two totally different
cultures.
It’s
nice to know that the United States has Canada as a vital ally and defense
partner, with intelligence agencies that work together and have a long standing
and well entrenched history of sharing vital intelligence. Maybe the U.S. can
learn from the CSIS model of conducting domestic surveillance and allowing the
CIA to do the same inside the U.S., which it is banned from doing so at present.
Enjoy the video CSIS Intelligence Officers- Recruiting.
Robert Morton is a member of the Association
of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S.
Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key
West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster
series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION
OF VENGEANCE.
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