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 […]
Episode 340 – First responders and those who deal with bad actors are exposed to very serious consequences Imagine you are a cop or a paramedic. On a daily basis, you are likely to have to deal with some very nasty stuff: severely wounded people or dead ones, and some truly evil individuals who like […]
Season 3 Special Summer Episode – Spies go where it is necessary with no trepidation (kudos to Canada’s “first” spy) After a successful Spies and Spirits event at the Luckhurst Distillery in Kelowna BC, the lads weigh in on the role Sir William Stephenson (a.k.a. ‘Intrepid’) played in the creation of the Canadian intelligence community […]
Episode 339 – Concrete steps to counter hate are a good thing Anti-Semitic acts are not new, unfortunately. Hatred of Jews goes back millennia, culminating in the Holocaust which led to the industrialisation of mass murder of Jews. Since the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli response in Gaza, it appears […]
Phil’s Phathomings Episode 1 – Canada needs to ensure that immigrants do not bring nefarious plans to our country Canada, like many other nations, needs robust immigration. Our fertility rates are dropping below the 2.1 minimum to keep our population stable and immigrants can help grow our economy. The vast majority of those who seek […]
Episode 278 – We all make mistakes, even spooks. Humans are fallible: that we know. One hopes that those in specialised trades – doctors, lawyers, etc. – get more things right than wrong. If not, it is a legitimate question: should they be in those professions? What about intelligence agencies? Should they have perfect records […]
Episode 338 – Pirates can help terrorist groups – we need to pay more attention to this The stereotypical view of pirates is undoubtedly heavily influenced by Hollywood. These depictions do not show the very violent actions carried out by pirates. Despite international treaties that define this phenomenon it does get the attention it deserves, […]