I don’t know which of these is the more alarming explanation :
That CSIS has either willingly or mistakenly given up one of its own moles to a US terrorist watchlist , or
That CSIS has lost control over the autonomy of its own data to the US
And then there’s this :
Harper extending personal control to oversight of national security and intelligence gathering
“… the establishment of an entirely new committee of Cabinet ministers responsible for overseeing national security and intelligence agencies, even intelligence and information gathered through delivery of Canadian aid programs. It will be only the second of two Cabinet committees now chaired by the Prime Minister…
The Cabinet Committee on National Security will provide “broad strategic direction for security and foreign policy related to Canada’s national interest, and [oversee] Canada’s national security response activities,” its description in background notes says.
The new panel includes Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (Provencher, Man.), responsible for CSIS and RCMP intelligence gathering, as vice-chair.
Other members are
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson (Niagara Falls, Ont.), also attorney general and responsible for other intelligence aspects of policing, security and prosecutions;
Defence Minister Peter MacKay (Central Nova, N.S.), who is directly responsible for the government’s main electronic eavesdropping and intelligence system, the Communications Security Establishment, and also is responsible for defence department intelligence services;
International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda (Durham, Ont.), responsible for foreign aid delivery through the Canadian International Development Agency;
newly appointed Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, Ont.);
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney (Calgary Southeast, Alta.), whose department routinely gathers sensitive information abroad and, in its immigration screening, potentially valuable intelligence; and
newly appointed Transport Minister Denis Lebel (Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean, Que.), whose department is responsible for a range of entry points to Canada, as well as intelligence and information gathering.”
Say, how is the “Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Competitiveness” coming along?
