ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Espionage, Intelligence, and Security Volume ...

Canada, Intelligence and SecurityCouncil, which required states to take action to preventand suppress terrorism.On October 2, 2001, the government of Canada implementedResolution 1373. On October 15, 2001, theAntiterrorism Act was tabled in Parliament. The act (Bill C-36), which was passed in December 2001, amended theCriminal Code to restrict the ability of terrorists to financetheir activities from Canada, restricted known terroristsfrom owing property in Canada, and increased the surveillancepowers of the RCMP and CSIS. As well, strictercontrols were put in place concerning the purchase andownership of firearms.Another piece of legislation, Bill C-42, proposes toamend the Immigration Act to allow the Minister of Immigrationto approve the destination of anyone beingdeported. This would help ensure that the deportee didnot escape to a jurisdiction that is sympathetic to theircause. The bill would also strengthen the search andseizure powers of customs agents at border crossings.Objections to Bill C-42 concerning its infringement oncivil liberties prompted its withdrawal and reformulation.New legislation called the Public Safety Act was introducedin April 2002. Among the recommendations is thecoordination of federal and provincial government databases,to make a variety of information more widelyaccessible.❚ FURTHER READING:ELECTRONIC:Canadian Security Intelligence Service. “Counter-Terrorism:Backgrounder Series No. 8.” Government of Canada.August 8, 2002. (26 November 2002).Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.“Report of the Government of Canada to the Counter-TerrorismCommittee of the United Nations SecurityCouncil on Measures Taken to Implement Resolution1373 (2001).” Government of Canada. July 13,2002. (26 November 2002).SEE ALSOAirline SecurityCanada, Intelligence and SecurityInformation Security❚ BRIAN HOYLECanada, Intelligenceand SecurityAs of July 1984, Canadian security and intelligence operationshave been the responsibility of the Canadian SecurityIntelligence Service (CSIS). The Canadian SecurityEncyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and SecurityIntelligence Service Act legislated the formation of CSISas a replacement for the Security Service, which was partof the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).In 1984, Canada was one of only a few western democraticnations to have a legislated security and intelligenceforce, with mandated boundaries to the scope of its operationsand a monitoring process to ensure that the agencyoperates as intended. The Federal Bureau of Investigationin the United States is another example of a security andintelligence gathering agency with a conceived purposeand mandate.Up until the mid-1970s, the task of defining what wasto be considered a security risk to Canada and monitoringsecurity developments was the responsibility of the RCMP.The force’s Security Service performed security and intelligencegathering functions for the country. At that time,the perceived threat from other nations or organizationswas ill defined, and no government security policy was inforce. The operations of the Security Service had evolvedover time and were the sole responsibility of the RCMP.Decisions regarding the targets of intelligence gatheringwere the domain of the Security Service. As a result, thegovernment and the citizens of Canada had little knowledgeof the measures being taken by the RCMP in theareas of national security and intelligence gathering.Canadian security agency history. The roots of Canada’sintelligence and security agencies date back almost 150years, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act of 1864.At that time, Canada had not formally become a country. Anumber of police forces operated in various regions ofwhat, three years later, would become Canada. In 1864, SirJohn A. MacDonald—the prominent political figure of theday and the man who would become Canada’s first PrimeMinister—assigned certain responsibilities to what wasthen called the Dominion Police Force. Security relatedduties included safeguarding the federal government’sparliament building and collecting information concerningperceived security threats to Canada (i.e., at that time,the government was wary that the Fenians—a group ofIrish nationalists who advocated for the political separationof Ireland from England—were planning to invadeCanada from the United States).The intelligence and security role of the DominionPolice Force increased in scope in 1920, when the DominionPolice joined with another force called the Royal NorthWest Mounted Police (who operated in the western regionof the country) to form the RCMP.Having assumed the role as the country’s intelligenceand security agency, the RCMPs role and focus shiftedover time in response to national priorities. For example,by the time of World War I, the RCMP was actively respondingto labor unrest, which was perceived as beinganarchist and of Communist origin, and so was viewed asa national security threat.In 1920, the RCMP’s security role was officially sanctionedwith the formation of the Criminal Investigation161