Watchdog finds problems with spy service’s use of legal authority to commit offences

OTTAWA — The national spy watchdog says the Canadian Security Intelligence Service may not have complied with the law when using special powers to gather information.

The CSIS Act allows designated spy service employees to commit certain offences when collecting information — a measure intended to ensure CSIS operations do not break the law.

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A new National Security and Intelligence Review Agency report notes there are limitations and requirements tied to this authority to ensure there are legal guardrails around CSIS activities.

The intelligence review agency looked at CSIS’s use of the authority in operations in 2022 and 2023.

The review agency found some CSIS employees may have committed offences without the required designation, and that direction may have been given to commit some acts without the authorization required by law.

The spy watchdog says CSIS has a duty to ensure all of its operations respect the law, especially when those operations require activity that would otherwise be considered illegal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2026.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press