Ever since Michelle Shephard of the Toronto Star broke the news of a $35 million lawsuit by 5 CSIS employees I have agonised over what to write and even whether to write about this issue. I turned down several requests for interviews from major Canadian TV networks and a few radio stations since I did […]
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CSIS and the courts at loggerheads?
These past couple of months have not been good for Canada’s spy service. First, the Federal Court ruled that CSIS has been negligent in informing it of a programme whereby it ‘illegally kept’ data (which it had collected legally under warrant) on Canadians. Then there is the criticism that the Service shared questions with the […]
I know for sure that this blog is going to raise some hackles, especially among my US friends and colleagues. Why? Because I am going to argue that the current US counter terrorism architecture is inadequate to deal with the threat and needs a serious overhaul. The solution I am proposing, however, will go against […]
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CSIS and disruption
CSIS Director Michel Coulombe appeared before the Senate National Security and Defence Committee today and stated that his organisation has used its new disruption powers over twenty times since 2015. This measure was controversial when introduced by the former Conservative government and is still seen by some as too strong for a service that […]
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Did Canada just dodge a RW bullet?
Episode 268 – How serious is the RW threat to Canada? If you listen to many ‘experts’ the biggest threat to world safety emanates from the far right (what normal people call right-wing terrorism (RW) but the Canadian government calls IMVE – ideologically-motivated violent extremism). Recent RCMP arrests in Quebec hit the news yesterday and […]
That Canada is, and proudly so, a multicultural nation has been part of our identity for decades (since 1971 officially). Nevertheless, Canadian belief that this policy is good for us has been falling of late (decreasing from 74% to 65% between June 2023 and July 2024 according to a Research Co. poll). Still, two-thirds of […]
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Was 7/7 a UK intelligence failure?
Episode 267 – A look back at the 7/7 London (UK) bombings twenty years later. When it comes to major terrorist attacks that grab the world’s attention a few rise to the top. 9/11 (of course!), the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, the Bataclan/Stade de France massacre and the Madrid metro attack in 2004 […]
Episode 280 – A deep look at how drug gangs are abusing the homeless in Canada When we talk about national security and public safety most people would likely go immediately to issues such as terrorism and espionage. And yet, there are many other things that pose a more immediate threat in most societies. Drug […]
Season 2 Episode 39 What do you get when you let three former spies loose on questions from their ‘fans’? The regular ‘ask us’ episode! We bet you have never had to think about the importance of a Farsi (Persian)-speaking parrot. Only here… Substack link Spotify link Spies Like Us With a combined 90+ years […]
Episode 279 – What, another ISIS affiliate in Africa? Mozambique achieved independence in 1974 after a long civil war with its former Portuguese colonial power. Like most African nations, however, peace and stability are not that common in the post European power era. The southeastern country has been facing down a jihadi movement affiliated with […]