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Organization’s Role in Public Safety
- CSIS is a government agency dedicated to protecting the national security interests of Canada and safeguarding its citizens.
- The main objective of the Service is to investigate and report on threats to the security of Canada, an objective that it pursues while respecting the law and protecting human rights.
- CSIS is unique in its role as the Government of Canada's principal advisor on national security.
Key Public Safety Activities
Counter Terrorism
- CSIS provides the Government of Canada with advice about emerging threats of serious violence that could affect the national security of Canada.
- CSIS' number one priority is public safety and the Service has devoted significant resources to meet the threat posed by international terrorism. In essence, CSIS tries to ensure that terrorist actions do not take place in Canada and that the country does not become a base from which terrorist organizations can plan, support, or carry out such actions elsewhere.
- Terrorism continues to be complex and global in scope, ranging from foreign-sourced religious extremism to Canada-based, right wing extremism.
Counter Intelligence
- The Service's counter-intelligence resources are deployed against a variety of security threats from both traditional and unprecedented intelligence activities.
- Threats to national security from espionage and foreign influenced activity continue to be resource-intensive, with new and emerging threats developing in the areas of economic security and information operations. The efforts of foreign governments to appropriate proprietary information and technology covertly is a growing challenge to the Service.
- While the threat is changing, traditional espionage and foreign interference continue to take place in Canada. Countries seeking to counter expatriate nationals who support homeland conflicts abroad continue to use their intelligence services to monitor, manipulate and threaten new Canadians despite warnings from the Canadian government.
Counter Proliferation
- The proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction, and the diversion to military programs of dual-use technology acquired under the guise of civilian research constitute a growing international security threat and one to which CSIS devotes particular attention. The potential for terrorist organizations to acquire these types of weapons also pose a serious concern.
- CSIS seeks to identify attempts by countries of proliferation concern to acquire Canadian technology and expertise.
Security Screening
- CSIS' Security Screening program is an integral part of Canada's front line of defence against threats to public safety and national security.
- CSIS provides government departments and agencies with security assessments on government employees and contractors requiring access to classified information and assets.
- CSIS also provides security advice respecting immigration and citizenship applications as part of the government's comprehensive immigration screening program that prevent those who would be detrimental to Canada's security and national interests from entering Canada and obtaining landed immigrant status.
- Thousands of security assessments are conducted each year by the Service in its Immigration and Citizenship Screening and Government Screening programs
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