Changed face of Canadian Intelligence

Intelligence practices in Canada underwent a complete overhaul in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, dispensing of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Security Service, in favour of the new Canadian Security and Intelligence Service. These changes fundamentally changed how Canada carried out intelligence work, and defined Canada with its own independent intelligence agency separate from a police force. The conditions under which this change took place were not favourable for the Canadian intelligence community; the RCMP had been tied up in scandal in the early 1970’s in relation to the FLQ Crisis and several other incidents where illegal practices were being used. The creation of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service is directly corresponds with these incidents and while the incidents reflect poorly on Canadian Intelligence, the creation of an independent and Security Intelligence Review Committee regulated organization benefitted Canada immensely.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Security Service was a re-naming of the RCMP’s Special Branch and Directorate of Security and Intelligence services which started in the 1950’s. The new Security Service was responsible for covert operations surrounding Canadian Security; during this period the focus was largely on the FLQ Crisis in Quebec, homosexual and communist threats. The Security Service was definitely not the first to have failures during this period; prior to the introduction of the security service the special branch and directorate had run programs such as the fruit machine in order to deal with homosexuals in governmental positions. The idea behind this operation being that people whose pupils dilated while exposed to images of the same sex could be removed. This op...

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...the Canadian Security Intelligence Service demonstrated to a degree how specifically removing the aspects that involved directly intervening in the issues that were being researched could provide effective intelligence. Additionally creating a separate body to investigate and report on the functions and effectiveness of the organization kept it accountable to the governing power. The face of intelligence completely changed with the development of CSIS and its supervisory bodies and brought about new practices that helped keep intelligence practices generally legal, but definitely accountable. The removal of the Inspector generals’ office of CSIS as a supervisory body suggests a move away from this model, perhaps it is time to revisit the issues raised in the 1970’s surrounding accountability before we can return to a completely reliable and accountable system again.