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The Mackenzie Commission of 1969 and the McDonald Commission of 1977 recommended that, in order to balance the need for accurate and effective security intelligence with the need to respect democratic rights and freedoms, Canada's security intelligence functions should be separated from the RCMP and that a civilian service should be formed.
In August 1981, the federal government announced that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service would be created.
The establishment of CSIS by an Act of Parliament in 1984 recognized the differences between security intelligence activities and law enforcement work, bringing an end to the 120-year-old interlocking of Canada's security intelligence service with the RCMP.
The CSIS Act was given Royal Assent in June 1994, and CSIS began its formal existence on July 16, 1984.
At that time, the new Service had a staff of 1,968. CSIS staff occupied eight separate buildings throughout Ottawa, working in operational units for counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-subversion and security screening during the early months of the new organization's existence. The distribution of resources for counter-intelligence was four times greater than for counter-terrorism in those early days.
In 1987, the Solicitor General tabled in the House of Commons the third Annual Report of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC). In its report, SIRC raised a number of concerns about CSIS, prompting the Solicitor General to announce the formation of an independent advisory team headed by Gordon Osbaldeston, former Clerk of the Privy Council, to study several specific issues raised by SIRC and present a plan of action to the Solicitor General.
One of the issues studied by the advisory team was whether CSIS policies on recruitment, training & development, and personnel management had provided the Service with the proper mix of skills, education and experience to meet the intelligence needs of the Government.
Regarding the adequacy of CSIS resources, the Osbaldeston Report concluded that, with the proclamation of the CSIS Act: " ... a number of new requirements were also created, many of which had to be provided from scratch. Among them were a complete management structure, an administrative system to provide the support previously drawn from the RCMP, accommodation separate from the RCMP, new communications and computer systems and a methodology for dealing with a complicated system of external review. All of this was to be provided, as a former member of CSIS management put it, 'on a shoestring'. The turmoil generated in simply getting CSIS established is a factor often overlooked by the critics," the Report said.
Among many other things, the Report recommended a complete review of all CSIS capital and operating resource requirements to determine a basis " ... from which to set reasonable and adequate resource levels for the Service." The government responded by providing additional funding over four years for personnel and operating requirements. The report also called for an "immediate" solution to the problem created by having a staff that was by 1987 at a level of 2,153 operating in separate buildings throughout Ottawa. The government responded with a commitment to construct the new headquarters building at a total cost of $151 million. The new building houses all CSIS headquarters personnel under one roof. Construction of the facility was completed in 1995 within the approved budget.
With the number of terrorist incidents accelerating dramatically in the eighties, worldwide patterns and the scope of terrorist incidents became more and more apparent. One of the consequences was that terrorism became increasingly defined as an intelligence problem as well as a police matter. In Canada, counter-terrorist activity increased following the 1982 assassination of a Turkish military attaché en route to work in Ottawa, and the 1985 takeover of the Turkish Embassy, in which a security guard was killed. Air India Flight 182 was downed off the coast of Ireland in 1985, resulting in the deaths of all 329 people on board, most of whom were Canadians.
Partly as a direct response to these developments, counter-terrorism resources, including personnel, were increased during 1986 and 1987. Since that time, there has been a continuing adjustment of operational resources to match the changes in the security environment. Consequently, the ratio of counter-terrorism to counter-intelligence resources is now 60-40.
Looking back on implementation of the Government's decision to establish CSIS, the Osbaldeston Report noted the Security Intelligence Review Committee's concern that the counter-subversion program "... casts its net too widely". Osbaldeston recommended that the counter-subversion branch be eliminated, and that its duties and functions be re-assigned. The Service responded by eliminating the counter-subversion program as a separate organizational entity.
As a consequence of the dramatic changes to the security environment in the 1980's and 1990's and as a consequence of the Service's participation in the government's restraint program, further adjustments to Service resources have been made.
The government's restraint program has affected the Service's resource levels and will continue to do so. Between 1992 and 1998, the Service's staff will be reduced by 739 or 26.8%. The Service's budget, including reductions resulting from Program Review, will decrease by 36.4% between 1993/94 and 1998/99. If the capital costs of the National Headquarters are excluded, the reduction is 19.7%.
As a result of Program Review II the Service's budget will be reduced by an additional $1.6 million in 1998/99.
The charts included in this document illustrate the Service's human and dollar resource levels. A major portion of the reduction since 1993-94 is explained by the completion of the construction of the National Headquarters building.
The Service is able to meet its budget cuts primarily through reductions in staff and operational costs. These reductions have been accomplished through normal attrition and, having been identified as a "most affected" agency, by being able to offer the Early Departure and Early Retirement Incentive Programs to employees. In addition, the Service has been focusing on reduction of administrative overhead to the extent possible and reliance on technological innovations to realize efficiencies.
Special emphasis will continue to be placed on maintaining the operational integrity of the Service. Although there have been directed reductions in some areas, essential positions must continue to be staffed by people with the qualifications and specialized skills related to security intelligence. Therefore, the Service will continue to recruit high-calibre university graduates to become Intelligence Officers.
Because CSIS is a national organization, it maintains a presence throughout the country. Nearly half its work force is based in six regions extending from the Maritimes to British Columbia. Most regions have a head office and district offices. The balance of CSIS employees are located at Headquarters, in Ottawa. The Service tries to ensure that the various ethnic groups that constitute the Canadian mosaic are equitably represented in its work force.
As a federal institution, CSIS ensures that the objectives of the Official Languages Act are met within the Service. CSIS is committed to ensuring: that communications with the public take place in both official languages as required by the Act; that work environments are encouraged which promote the use of either official language by the employees in the regions described in the Act; and that its workforce reflect the presence of the two official language communities in Canada while endeavouring to provide equal opportunities for employment and advancement within the Service to both English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians.
CSIS also ensures that programs and strategies are developed to assist managers in the recruitment, development and retention of persons who are members of the four employment equity designated groups: women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities and aboriginal peoples.
CSIS is committed to fostering a work environment in which its employees are constantly learning and developing professionally. To this end, employees can participate in both internal or external courses and seminars that allow them to develop new skills, acquire knowledge, or gain new perspectives in areas that will help them in the performance of their duties.
The Service's internal training and development program is comprehensive, covering a full range of training and seminars related to management, professional development, informatics, as well as operational matters. External courses are used to enhance employees' skills on non-CSIS specific topics.
The range of CSIS activities means that its employees must possess a variety of academic backgrounds and abilities. To operate effectively, the Service needs not only Intelligence Officers, but also engineers, translators, technicians, financial and computer experts.
The Intelligence Officer category is the core professional group. They are responsible for the collection, analysis and production of intelligence. In order to be considered for employment in this category, the following qualifications are required:
Meeting these requirements is only the starting point in applying to work at CSIS. The application process is rigorous, competitive and lengthy. Because of the sensitive nature of CSIS' work, all applicants must undergo security background investigations.
Canadian citizens interested in a career with CSIS are encouraged to forward a résumé to one of the following offices serving the residential area of the applicant:
Attention: CSIS Personnel Services
Atlantic Region 1505 Barrington Street, Suite 1901 Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3K5
Quebec Region P.O. Box 2000, Station A Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3A6
Toronto Region 277 Front Street West, 10th Floor Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2X4
Prairie Region P.O. Box 105, 10011-109 Street Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 3S8
British Columbia Region P.O. Box 80629 South Burnaby, B.C., V5H 3Y1
National Capital Region P.O. Box 9732, Postal Station T Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 4G4
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