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

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

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around the world for the National Security Agency.

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

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

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Our Greg Weston has the exclusive details from Ottawa tonight.

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Greg?

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

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

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that's exactly what the US is counting on.

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Canada is not only spying around the world,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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or CSEC,

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

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

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

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The two agencies even swap personnel.

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According to the secret memo...

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CSEC has even...

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

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developed largely in embassies and councillor missions abroad.

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And the document goes on.

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CSEC runs operations in places the NSA can't.

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

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guess what you can conduct.

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These secret surveillance or collection efforts.

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(Greg) Wark has a different take.

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

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as an innocent partner in the international sphere.

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

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

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

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Canada has already been caught.

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I cannot comment on national security operations...

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

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That raised howls of protest in that country.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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that CBC News has decided it will not make public.

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

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Well Wendy, we heard from both governments.

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

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

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

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

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