Canada spying for the U.S.

A top secret document retrieved by American whistleblower Edward Snowden reveals Canada has set up covert spying posts around the world and conducted espionage against trading partners at the request of the U.S. National Security Agency.

We begin with new information tonight about just how extensively Canada is spying for the United States.

How Canada has even gone so far as to set up secret spy posts

around the world for the National Security Agency.

The explosive revelations are contained in a document leaked by Edward Snowden.

And it reveals this Canadian co-operation has been going on for decades.

Our Greg Weston has the exclusive details from Ottawa tonight.

Greg?

Wendy, most people probably don't think of Canada as a world player in espionage.

But according to this American document, marked 'Top Secret',

that's exactly what the US is counting on.

Canada is not only spying around the world,

it often does so at the request of the US National Security Agency.

It essentially means it is a close to a working relationship with the NSA as it can possible have.

The word 'close' does not begin to tell this story.

The secret document reveals Canada and the US have been running joint spying operations

in about 20 countries the NSA calls 'high priority'.

Some of those countries are Canada's own trading partners.

A super-secretive agency called the Communications Security Establishment Canada,

or CSEC,

gathers intelligence by intercepting phone calls and hacking into data systems.

CSEC has been eavesdropping with the NSA for more than 60 years.

Now, for the first time, this document reveals just how deep and far and wide that relationship has become.

The two agencies even swap personnel.

According to the secret memo...

CSEC has even...

I think this should probably be read as a reference to monitoring sites,

developed largely in embassies and councillor missions abroad.

And the document goes on.

CSEC runs operations in places the NSA can't.

And under the cover of those relationships that Canada enjoys, and the United States doesn't,

guess what you can conduct.

These secret surveillance or collection efforts.

(Greg) Wark has a different take.

But I still think we trade on a degree of an international brand,

as an innocent partner in the international sphere.

There's not that much known really about Canadian intelligence,

and in that sense, Canadian operations might escape at least the same degree of notice and surveillance

that the operations of the United States or Britain in certain foreign countries would bound to attract.

Canada has already been caught.

I cannot comment on national security operations...

That was Harper in October, after another Snowden document revealed that CSEC was spying on Brazil.

That raised howls of protest in that country.

Here, there were questions about who's minding the spies.

The latest revelations of Canada's global espionage operations are bound to fuel that debate,

and this former NSA executive says that's a good thing.

You cannot have this amount of secret operations outside the purview of proper oversight,

which there's little or none of that, even within Canada.

Wendy, as revealing as this document surely is, it is also packed with operational details,

that CBC News has decided it will not make public.

Is there any reaction to this? Big story, Greg.

Well Wendy, we heard from both governments.

Canada's defence minister, Rob Nicholson, who is responsible for CSEC,

pointed out the agency is subject to review by an independent commissioner.

In the United States, a spokesman for the government there, said,

"NSA collects intelligence, the same as every other nation."

Thanks so much, Greg. Greg Weston tonight in Ottawa.