Canada spying for the U.S.
-
0:00 - 0:08We begin with new information tonight about just how extensively Canada is spying for the United States.
-
0:08 - 0:12How Canada has even gone so far as to set up secret spy posts
-
0:12 - 0:16around the world for the National Security Agency.
-
0:16 - 0:21The explosive revelations are contained in a document leaked by Edward Snowden.
-
0:21 - 0:27And it reveals this Canadian co-operation has been going on for decades.
-
0:27 - 0:31Our Greg Weston has the exclusive details from Ottawa tonight.
-
0:31 - 0:32Greg?
-
0:33 - 0:38Wendy, most people probably don't think of Canada as a world player in espionage.
-
0:38 - 0:41But according to this American document, marked 'Top Secret',
-
0:41 - 0:44that's exactly what the US is counting on.
-
0:44 - 0:47Canada is not only spying around the world,
-
0:47 - 0:51it often does so at the request of the US National Security Agency.
-
0:51 - 0:57It essentially means it is a close to a working relationship with the NSA as it can possible have.
-
0:57 - 1:00The word 'close' does not begin to tell this story.
-
1:00 - 1:05The secret document reveals Canada and the US have been running joint spying operations
-
1:05 - 1:09in about 20 countries the NSA calls 'high priority'.
-
1:09 - 1:12Some of those countries are Canada's own trading partners.
-
1:12 - 1:17A super-secretive agency called the Communications Security Establishment Canada,
-
1:17 - 1:18or CSEC,
-
1:18 - 1:23gathers intelligence by intercepting phone calls and hacking into data systems.
-
1:23 - 1:28CSEC has been eavesdropping with the NSA for more than 60 years.
-
1:28 - 1:35Now, for the first time, this document reveals just how deep and far and wide that relationship has become.
-
1:35 - 1:38The two agencies even swap personnel.
-
1:38 - 1:40According to the secret memo...
-
1:47 - 1:48CSEC has even...
-
1:51 - 1:56I think this should probably be read as a reference to monitoring sites,
-
1:56 - 2:00developed largely in embassies and councillor missions abroad.
-
2:00 - 2:02And the document goes on.
-
2:02 - 2:05CSEC runs operations in places the NSA can't.
-
2:12 - 2:18And under the cover of those relationships that Canada enjoys, and the United States doesn't,
-
2:18 - 2:20guess what you can conduct.
-
2:20 - 2:24These secret surveillance or collection efforts.
-
2:24 - 2:26(Greg) Wark has a different take.
-
2:26 - 2:30But I still think we trade on a degree of an international brand,
-
2:30 - 2:34as an innocent partner in the international sphere.
-
2:34 - 2:37There's not that much known really about Canadian intelligence,
-
2:37 - 2:43and in that sense, Canadian operations might escape at least the same degree of notice and surveillance
-
2:43 - 2:49that the operations of the United States or Britain in certain foreign countries would bound to attract.
-
2:49 - 2:51Canada has already been caught.
-
2:51 - 2:54I cannot comment on national security operations...
-
2:54 - 3:01That was Harper in October, after another Snowden document revealed that CSEC was spying on Brazil.
-
3:01 - 3:04That raised howls of protest in that country.
-
3:04 - 3:07Here, there were questions about who's minding the spies.
-
3:07 - 3:13The latest revelations of Canada's global espionage operations are bound to fuel that debate,
-
3:13 - 3:17and this former NSA executive says that's a good thing.
-
3:17 - 3:25You cannot have this amount of secret operations outside the purview of proper oversight,
-
3:25 - 3:28which there's little or none of that, even within Canada.
-
3:28 - 3:34Wendy, as revealing as this document surely is, it is also packed with operational details,
-
3:34 - 3:38that CBC News has decided it will not make public.
-
3:39 - 3:42Is there any reaction to this? Big story, Greg.
-
3:42 - 3:45Well Wendy, we heard from both governments.
-
3:45 - 3:48Canada's defence minister, Rob Nicholson, who is responsible for CSEC,
-
3:48 - 3:53pointed out the agency is subject to review by an independent commissioner.
-
3:53 - 3:57In the United States, a spokesman for the government there, said,
-
3:57 - 4:01"NSA collects intelligence, the same as every other nation."
-
4:01 - 4:04Thanks so much, Greg. Greg Weston tonight in Ottawa.
- Title:
- Canada spying for the U.S.
- Description:
-
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.
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 04:05
Jordan Watts edited English subtitles for Canada spying for the U.S. |