The organization I have chosen for this essay is CSIS ( Canadian Security Intelligence Service ).
CSIS closely resembles The Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) or British Security Intelligence Service. I have chosen this organization because I have great interest in becoming an employee of CSIS in the future. This essay will provide brief history of CSIS, the responsibilities of CSIS for Canada, and the application process for an entry – level position. These will be further discussed in greater detail as the essay goes on. CSIS was created by the passage of an Act of Parliament ( Bill C-9 ) on June 21, 1984.
The service began its formal existence on July 16, 1984. Prior to June 21, 1984, security intelligence was collected by the Security service of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Two different Commissions chaired by the Justice Mackenzie in 1969 and Justice McDonald in 1977 recommended that the security intelligence functions be separated from the RCMP and that a civilian service be formed to carry out those functions. Both commissions recognized that the problem of balancing the need for accurate and effective security intelligence with the need to respect democratic rights and freedoms could not be adequately resolved as long as security intelligence responsibilities remained part of the Federal police force. In 1970, following the report of the Mackenzie Commission, John Starnes, a Foreign Service officer with the Department of External Affairs, became the first civilian Director General of the RCMP Security Service. Although the RCMP became more flexible problem arose due to the different natures of security intelligence work and police work.
In August 1981, the feral government announced that a security intelligence service, separate from the RCMP would be established. The first legislation to establish the security intelligence service, Bill C-157, ” an Act to Establish the Canadian Security Intelligence Service ( CSIS )” was introduced in Parliament in May 1983. It passed by both Houses of parliament and given Royal Assent in June 1984. CSIS began its formal existence on July 16, 1984 with Ted Finn as Director.
In addition to creating a civilian security intelligence service, the Cat also created SIRC, to review the activities of CSIS. CSIS is a government agency dedicated to protecting the national security interests of Canada and safeguarding its citizens. The main objective of the service is to investigate and report on threats to the security of Canada. CSIS is unique in its role as the Government of Canada’s principle advisor on national security. CSIS reports to and advises the Government of Canada.
CSIS intelligence is shared with a number of other federal government departments and agencies, including Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Immigration, the Department of National Defense and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As well, CSIS has arrangements to exchange security related information with other countries. The vast majority of these arrangements deal with visa vetting. A small number deal with exchanges of information collected by CSIS in its investigation of threats to national security.
CSIS does not have the mandate to conduct foreign intelligence operations outside of Canada. CSIS is a defensive, domestic security intelligence service. The security intelligence service is restricted to investigating threats to its country’s national security. On the other hand, a foreign intelligence service conducts offensive operations for its government in foreign countries.
CSIS does not investigate company to company industrial espionage. CSIS does, however, investigate the activities of foreign governments that engage in economic espionage as means of gaining and economic advantage for themselves. The fundamental goal of CSIS is to protect the Canadian way of life, but also recognize the rights and freedoms of the individual. To ensure this goal the CSIS Act strictly limits the type of activity that may be investigated and the ways that information can be collected and who may view the information. Information may be gathered only on those individuals or organizations suspected of engaging in any of the following types of activity that threaten the security of Canada; Espionage and Sabotage, Foreign – Influenced activities, Political violence and Terrorism, and Subversion.
The range of CSIS activities means that it is employees must posses a variety of academic backgrounds and abilities. The
