A new spy watchdog report says an overseas Canadian Security Intelligence Service operation was suddenly halted by government officials, “creating unnecessary danger for the CSIS team” and raising questions about ministerial accountability.
The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency found no written records indicating the decision to suspend the operation had been made by the CSIS director or the minister of public safety.
The review agency says that unlike typical operational matters, the case involved senior political-level actors from across the federal government.
The heavily redacted review agency report provides few clues about the actors in question or the nature of the overseas CSIS operation.
However, it says the decision to halt the activities abroad in mid-operation caused harm to Canada’s reputation, needlessly placed spies in danger and “raises serious concerns regarding CSIS’s accountability mechanisms.”
In September 2022, the episode prompted Marco Mendicino, the public safety minister at the time, to ask the review agency to look at whether CSIS and the Public Safety Department were effectively supporting ministerial responsibility.
Ultimately the sensitive operation in question was allowed to proceed after a delay. But the review reveals that senior CSIS officials had difficulty grappling with its temporary suspension.
At one point, the CSIS director sent an email to senior officials within key security and intelligence portfolios stating, “time is quickly running out and the situation is getting much more tense on the ground. We need a decision tomorrow.”
The report indicates there was also uncertainty over who had authority to resume the operation.
The review agency found that CSIS and the Public Safety Department failed in their responsibilities to “provide timely and accurate information” to the public safety minister about elements of the operation.
The report concludes the system of ministerial accountability for CSIS “is in need of serious attention.”
Building a stronger system now will help prepare for future operations and reduce the likelihood of a repeat of past confusion and risk, the report adds.
It recommends that when a decision affecting an active CSIS operation is not made by the spy service’s director or delegates, it must come as a direction from the public safety minister and should be accompanied by a written record.
It also urges the public safety minister to ensure the deputy minister obtains any information required to fulfil their responsibility to provide independent advice to the minister about CSIS activities and operations.
