Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was founded by an act of the Canadian Parliament, Bill C-157, "an Act to Establish the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)" to be a replacement for the floundering Royal Canadian Mounted Police Security Service. The RCMP, which is Canada's federal police service, was at one time also responsible for intelligence duties.CSIS's mission statement is as follows: "The people of CSIS are dedicated to the protection of Canada's national security interests and the safety of Canadians". As per this statement CSIS does not have an active foreign intelligence department, but solely acts as a kind of "internal security" to protect Canada from internal and external threats. This means CSIS officers and surveillance personnel do not officially work outside of Canada's borders.
Some of the tasks included in this mission, known as 'Operational Programs' include:
- Counter-terrorism
- Counter-proliferation (eg. preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction)
- Counter-intelligence
- Security-screening
- Research, Analysis and Production (eg. creating strategy for the implemention the Operational Programs)
- Environmental scanning (eg. monitering the global flow of information, see also: Echelon)
- Facing Technological Challenges
