Sarah Mills: Reflections as a daughter leaves elementary school behind
Sarah Mills is celebrating her daughter's Grade 8 graduation, which means high school is around the corner. Mills says e...
OTTAWA — Canada’s spy service says it closed 34 misconduct cases last year and concluded the allegations were founded in 33 of the cases.
In its latest annual report, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says disciplinary or administrative measures were taken in the cases that ranged from verbal warnings to dismissal.
CSIS says there were 50 new cases related to breach of conduct in 2024 and 33 new cases related to harassment and violence, representing an increase of 63 per cent over 2023.
The intelligence service adds that it has seen a rise in the number of reports from employees — a sign of their willingness to use internal mechanisms to flag alleged wrongdoing.
CSIS says its first annual report on misconduct and wrongdoing at the intelligence service will be published this year, and will provide complete statistics for 2024 and 2025.
A CSIS ombudsperson’s office, intended to help employees report harassment or other concerns without fear of reprisal, is set to open July 7.
The new CSIS ombudsperson is Elianne Hall, who recently held a similar position at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, said Eric Balsam, a spokesman for the intelligence service.
“The office will better support all CSIS employees, augment existing mechanisms and help build a strong culture of trust and respect with CSIS employees at all levels,” Balsam said in an emailed response to questions.
In December 2023, the CSIS director at the time, David Vigneault, committed to creating the ombudsperson’s office and the annual harassment report during a town-hall meeting for agency staff.
Vigneault’s moves came after The Canadian Press reported on what officers called a “toxic workplace” in the agency’s B.C. surveillance unit.
One officer said she was raped nine times by a senior colleague while in surveillance vehicles on missions in 2019 and 2020.
A second officer said she was later sexually assaulted by the same man, despite bosses being told he should not be partnered with young women.
The annual report says the CSIS ombudsperson will report directly to intelligence service director Dan Rogers, and the office will be independent and separate from all other CSIS reporting structures.
“The Ombuds Office will adhere to the four key principles of all ombuds: informality, independence, impartiality and confidentiality,” the annual report says.
The office will analyze trends to identify systemic issues and provide an overview and recommendations to the organization, as well as an annual public report summarizing issues based on anonymous aggregate data, the report says.
The office will also deliver and monitor internal conflict management services and carry out employee exit interviews.
The annual report says establishment of the ombudsperson’s office was led by the CSIS deputy director of policy and strategic partnerships to ensure separation between the office and the intelligence service’s human resources functions.
— With files from Darryl Greer in Vancouver
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
