Working for CSIS doesn't mean that you're a covert operative. I know plenty of present and past employees of CSIS, CSEC, CIA, NSA, GCHQ, etc -- my understanding is that the general rule is "don't call attention to your affiliation, but it's ok to say if evading questions would draw even more attention to you".
Spying on and harassing activists has, for a long time, been a big part of what CSIS does. I personally know tech activists that have been spied on and harassed. The RCMP is also known for this.
Mainstream new story from a couple weeks ago in which activist orgs complained of CSIS harassment:
Investigating people who are doing unusual things is part of their job. In cases like the Occupy movement, it's entirely appropriate for them to say "gee, something's going on -- it seems mostly peaceful so far, but does it have the potential to become violent later?" and investigate.
Spying on and harassing activists has, for a long time, been a big part of what CSIS does.
Give me a break.
Canada has a very open door immigration policy. Unfortunately that open door draws in people who actually don't like what Canada is about (which makes it weird that they would come here) and who conspire against, effectively, Canadian society. I welcome that law enforcement cares about this and does normal investigations.
Further from a corporate perspective it is well known that China, in particular, is going absolutely rampant with corporate espionage in the West. This is a major concern.
Or just call it some sort of "anti-activism" creed.
>Unfortunately that open door draws in people who actually don't like what Canada is about ... Or just call it some sort of "anti-activism" creed.
Sounds like what you're saying is that because CSIS does some legitimate things it means they don't also do less legitimate things, like harass/spy on activists.
I personally know and have seen the logs from an activist who has CSIS host-names show up in his blog for the past few years. This came after the G8 fiasco in Toronto, where they pulled him in for questioning.
