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

Canine Substance Detectiongeneral (the second most powerful law enforcement officerin the country) and the SIRC. The SIRC is composed offive people who are selected following consultations withthe prime minister and the leaders of all the qualifiedopposition parties in the House of Commons. The SIRCalso conducts a review of CSIS activities and operationseach year and reports its finding to the ministers of defenseand foreign affairs, and to Parliament. By reportingto Parliament, the fullest public disclosure of the SIRCreports are ensured.A caveat to the full and open disclosure of information,however, is the denial of cabinet documents to boththe inspector general and the SIRC. Thus, some informationabout CSIS operations is kept secret.The covert nature of some of Canada’s intelligenceand security network has been contentious from the establishmentof CSIS. Much of the debate surrounding theformation of CSIS centered on its mandate. The idea thatthe country’s security force would have full authorizationto deal with “subversion” and “foreign influenced activities”struck some critics as too broad and hazy a frame ofreference. Civil libertarians, in particular, argued that thelack of precision in the mandate could allow CSIS tolegally infringe on the civil right of Canadians.The regulatory and monitoring processes seek tominimize these civil rights issues. In response to a legalchallenge, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled in 1987 thatthe Canadian Security Intelligence Act does not violate theCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.The powers of CSIS. The security and intelligence functionsof CSIS apply only within the borders of Canada. Foreignintelligence, including offensive operations in other countries,is not part of the mandate of CSIS.The federal government guides the powers that CSISwields. Thus, the direction of the agency can change. Thishas occurred as the global tensions between the EasternEurope and the West have declined, and as terroristsoperations have escalated. CSIS is now concerned primarilywith preserving the national security from disruptionfrom within the country than from beyond Canada’s borders.Operationally, the solicitor general, a member of thegoverning party who is the overseer of CSIS, providesgovernment direction.Intelligence information is gathered from a wide varietyof sources, both public and privileged. Public sourcesinclude newspapers, trade journals, periodicals, academicjournals, radio and television broadcasts in Canadaand abroad, and via official government documents.Privileged sources include the interception of telecommunications.The information that is collected is analyzed by thefield staff who collect it and by personnel at CSIS headquarters.The information can be combined with otherinformation to provide a national picture of the significanceof the suspected security threat. The final step is theEncyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Securityrelease of the analysis to the concerned governmentdepartments.One of the main analysis reports is known as a threatassessment. Different departments use the threat assessmentto determine responses. For example, the RCMP canuse a threat assessment to gauge the degree of securityprovided to a visiting dignitaries and to prominent Canadianstraveling abroad. As another example, the Departmentof Foreign Affairs and International Trade will use athreat assessment report to provide the proper security toCanadian business and governmental missions in foreigncountries. Transport Canada also uses the assessment toissue warnings to the general public about travel.As of late 2003, the primary role of CSIS is the safetyof Canadians from security threats. This includes terroristactivity. As such, much of the information that CSIS collectson terrorist activities is shared with security andenforcement agencies in other countries including theUnited States.❚ FURTHER READING:BOOKS:Cleroux, Richard. Official Secrets: The Story behind theCanadian Security Intelligence Service.Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson,1990.Hewitt, Steven. Spying 101: The RCMP’s Secret Activitiesat Canadian Universities.Toronto: University of TorontoPress,2002.Starnes, John. Closely Guarded: A Life in Canadian Securityand Intelligence.Toronto: University of TorontoPress,2001.PERIODICALS:Farson, S.A. “Is Canadian Intelligence Being Re-Invented?”Canadian Foreign Policy no. 6 (1999): 49–83.ELECTRONIC:Canadian Security Intelligence Service. “A Historical Perspectiveon CSIS.” Government of Canada. November01, 2001. (06 December 2002).Library of Parliament. “The Canadian Security IntelligenceService.” Parliamentary Research Branch. January 24,2000. (06 December 2002).Canine Substance Detection❚ JUDYTH SASSOONCanine substance detection involves the use of speciallytrained dogs, commonly golden or Labrador retrievers,for the detection of illegal substances. Dogs of this kindare now being used in various different situations, such as163