A secret deal was proposed between CSIS and Canada Border Services Agency
Before Bill C-51, CSIS shared information with other federal agencies - but they needed the Public Safety Minister's permission. C-51 removes political oversight, giving CSIS access to 16 other agencies information about you without even needing to ask. Speak out now to get the bill repealed at KillC51.ca Article by Alex Boutillier for the Toronto Star
OTTAWA—A secret deal between Canada’s spies and border guards proposed more information sharing and joint operations without the need for political sign-off, the Star has learned.
A 2014 deal between the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Canada Border Services Agency proposed the two agencies be allowed to share information and resources without the prior approval of their political masters.
“The Framework (Memorandum of Understanding) will also authorize (CSIS) to enter into more specific arrangements with CBSA, as required, without the necessity to seek your approval each time,” wrote CSIS director Michel Coulombe in a memo explaining the deal to Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney.
Blaney’s office won’t say whether or not the deal has been approved.
The deal, obtained under access to information law, would permit the two agencies to share “investigative techniques, the provision of equipment, the sharing of information, resources or personnel” to assist one another to meet shared objectives.
CSIS is allowed to enter into agreements with other departments and agencies, including foreign partners, and routinely does. But the rules governing the spy agency state that CSIS needs the express permission from the public safety minister to do so.
But Coulombe explicitly stated that, under the new deal, Blaney’s approval would not be required for further co-operation between the two agencies. Both would otherwise have to follow their respective mandates, the deal states.
- Read more at the Toronto Star
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