Canada to Develop New Strategy for Foreign Espionage, Granting CSIS Expanded Powers

The Canadian government is planning to grant the country's intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the authority to conduct espionage operations overseas. The move could mark a major first step towards establishing a separate foreign intelligence agency similar to the United States' CIA and Britain's MI6.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's government announced $6 billion in additional funding for CSIS over the next 10 years in its recent federal budget. A portion of the funding is expected to be used to strengthen the agency's ability to gather foreign intelligence. CSIS currently operates on an annual budget of approximately $1 billion.

According to reports, existing legislation limits CSIS primarily to addressing security threats within Canada. However, the government is now planning legislative changes that would allow the agency to strengthen its human intelligence capabilities overseas.

The move comes as Canada has traditionally relied heavily on intelligence shared by its Five Eyes partners — the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. However, amid changing global security conditions and growing concerns over economic security, Ottawa is looking to strengthen its independent intelligence-gathering capabilities and reduce its dependence on foreign allies.