Speeches and Presentations

W.P.D. Elcock, Director Canadian Security Intelligence Service Appearance before the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on National Security

Check against Delivery

April 1, 2003

Mr. Chairman,

Good afternoon. In order to leave as much time as possible for questions, I will be brief. But I do have some comments that may be useful in the context in which we find ourselves.

As you are no doubt aware, the current global security environment is at a level of instability not seen in years. The many tensions across the world have potentially serious consequences, and should they come to a head simultaneously, the capacity of nations to respond to the military, political and humanitarian demands would be tested to the limit.

Events derived from the actions of Islamic terrorists have put Western security resources, including those of CSIS, under extensive pressure. The escalation of tensions has increased demands from allies and heightened the effort required to meet national security requirements.

Since war was declared on Iraq on March 19, 2003, the Service has been operating in a heightened stance and has increased its vigilance and operational activities against terrorism. To date, there is no known specific threat to Canada or Canadian interests.

In November 2002, al-Qaeda’s Osama bin Laden named Canada as a “legitimate” al-Qaeda target due to its participation in operations in Afghanistan and its support of strong measures against terrorism. The assessment drawn from this announcement is that Islamic extremists may undertake terrorist operations in Canada or against Canadian interests abroad. The Service continues to operate at a heightened level of activity and vigilance against Al Qaeda and against associated groups.

Although there is no information regarding specific dates, times and methods of these attacks, al- Qaeda has proven capabilities in a wide range of terrorist operations, including mass casualty attacks with improvised explosive devices, aircraft hijacking, as well as assassinations, kidnapping and armed assault operations. Taken as a whole, it is judged that there is a direct threat to Canada and Canadians interests world wide. The U.S. is still, of course, the primary target in North America. While we assess prospects for a chemical or biological weapons attack as remote, particularly in a domestic context, there is now a Canadian dimension to this threat.

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Government Budgetary Response

Immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001, the Government of Canada took a number of legislative and policy initiatives to address the needs of Canadians with respect to their safety, and allotted substantial amounts of money to the Public Safety and Anti-terrorism initiative.

The current threat environment has dictated an increased workload for CSIS in several areas including immigration screening, security screening for government, and research related to determining listed terrorist entities and combatting the financing of terrorist activities. The Government of Canada has recognized these increased responsibilities and the increased need for investigative resources by providing additional funding. As announced in the December 2001 budget, the Service received a 35% increase to its base ($354 million over a six-year period). This has allowed the Service to increase its workforce to 2,290 in 2002-2003 from 2,097 in the previous year.

These resources have been used to augment existing programs and have allowed the Service to take important steps to improve and enhance its operational effectiveness through an accelerated recruiting program and the replacement of obsolete and dated technical and communications equipment.

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CSIS Response - A Risk Management Enterprise

Even with increased funding, the very nature of intelligence collection is still a risk management enterprise. CSIS regularly assesses emerging threats, prioritizes these threats and allocates its resources in order to best meet the challenges of the current threat environment.

Safeguarding the public against the threat of terrorism remains the Service’s first priority, with Sunni extremism being the top priority within the Counter Terrorism Program. Countering the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, protecting Canada’s economic security, defending against cyber threats to critical infrastructure and safeguarding the confidential information of the Government of Canada from foreign governments and others who might threaten the security of Canadians remain operational priorities for the Service.

Counter-terrorism illustrates the Service’s efforts to use a risk management strategy to deal with the threats within available resources. Early in the 1990s, terrorism began to emerge as the greatest threat to Canadian security. Recognizing the shifting threat environment, CSIS immediately moved resources into the counter-terrorism operational program, focussing on Sunni Islamic extremism. Over the last decade, the resources devoted to counter-terrorism have grown with the scope and complexity of the threat.

Other adjustments the Service incorporated in order to accommodate the ever-evolving security environment include:

Creation of Counter Proliferation Branch:

• The risk posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a growing concern as both state and non-state actors seek these deadly weapons and the power that accompanies them. With this in mind, the Government of Canada has identified counter proliferation as one of its security intelligence priorities.

• CSIS responded to the increasing seriousness of the proliferation threat by creating a unit to bring together those elements of the Service that were investigating such issues. This unit combines the expertise of both the counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism fields to address a growing threat that extends beyond national boundaries to include non-state actors.

• The CP Branch fulfills its role within the CSIS mandate by collecting information related to biological, chemical and nuclear weapons development programs undertaken by foreign governments or terrorist organizations.

• Through exchange relationships with foreign governments and working closely with a number of federal government departments and agencies, the CP Branch is able to expand upon and share its knowledge about threats and emerging trends in the area. With the information it gathers, it develops assessments of potential weapons of mass destruction threats within Canada or against Canadian interests. These assessments can be distributed to the broader security and intelligence community and to other federal government departments and agencies.

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Enhanced Intelligence Co-operation:

• The terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, have once again forcefully brought to the fore the necessity for security and intelligence agencies to cooperate with one another, both nationally and internationally.

• The transnational nature of several terrorist organizations, al-Qaeda being the most notorious, requires effective sharing of pertinent information among organizations involved in public safety and security.

• The provision of client-focussed, timely, value-added security intelligence advice to other parts of government remains a priority to ensure that individual security intelligence requirements are met and to maintain an ongoing exchange of information between the Service and its major departmental clients.

• In response to the changes in threat activity, CSIS increased its exchange of intelligence with security intelligence organizations of friendly nations supporting Canada’s commitment to fighting international terrorism.

Front End Screening:

• The provision of security advice in immigration and citizenship matters is crucial to countering imported threats to the security of Canada. The screening program serves as a first line of defence against those who attempt to penetrate the country to undermine Canadian security. Consequently, CSIS attempts to ensure that all requests in this area are processed expeditiously.

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• Working closely with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the Service’s Immigration Screening Program’s primary task is to provide security-related advice to CIC. The objective is to prevent persons who are inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act from entering or gaining status in Canada.

• In the last year, the most important change, from a security screening point of view, was the adoption of Front End Screening (FES) for all refugee claimants to Canada.

• FES is a government initiative to ensure that all refugee claimants arriving in Canada are checked against CSIS and RCMP records prior to Immigration and Refugee Board assessment. The initiative was implemented to identify and filter potential security and criminal cases from the refugee claimant stream as early as possible in the determination process. Prior to the introduction of this program, CSIS was not asked or mandated to screen refugee claimants.

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New Demands/Pressures

In the heightened security atmosphere since 9/11, the escalation of tensions has increased demands from allies and heightened the effort required to meet national security requirements. The current threat environment has dictated an increased workload for CSIS in several areas including:

• The utilization of CSIS research and analysis in listing terrorist entities as provided for under the Anti-terrorism Act.

• Use of CSIS intelligence in moving against terrorist financiers.

• Demands for security screening services, which CSIS provides to all federal government departments and institutions, except the RCMP but also now to all nuclear power facilities and some provincial governments.

• Increased requests for information from, in particular, American agencies which rose 300 per cent in the first six months after September 11, a trend that shows no signs of abating.

• For CSIS, already subject to review by SIRC and the Inspector General, and to operational pressures at a time of heightened threat levels, an unprecedented interest from other government and parliamentary institutions has also been a challenge.

• Despite this increased workload, it is important to note that our relationship with our American partners is considered both strong and paramount. This was re-iterated at a March 2002 conference in Whistler, B.C., in which Louis Freeh, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, noted, "With respect to the Canadian and US partnership … in the areas of terrorism, cross-border crime, espionage, there is actually no stronger relationship that exists in the world, at least in my experience, than between the law enforcement (and) intelligence services of both countries, and I know from a first-hand position."

• The war on terrorism will continue and undergo transformations as both sides in this conflict adapt to new world realities. While recent events have underlined the fact that Canada is not immune from acts of terrorism, CSIS will continue working with partner agencies toward disrupting support of terrorist financing networks in Canada, and denying refuge in this country to members of terrorist organizations.

Thank you.

Date modified: 2005-11-14

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