The Canadian Intelligence Community After 9/11

Authors

  • Greg Fyffe University of Ottawa

Abstract

After September 2001, the Canadian intelligence community gained substantial new resources and revised mandates. Institutional structures were modified to focus on new threats and improve coordination. Agencies gained in impact because they had more capacity to deal with potential terrorists and gather information in a world which was more chaotic, more threatening, and more unpredictable.  The 9/11 attacks were a catalyst for change, but the Canadian intelligence community had also been shaken by the Ressam plot, and was subsequently influenced by the allied Iraq debates, participation in Afghanistan, and the Arar and Air India inquiries. Changes continue as new capacities are absorbed, refined and focused.

Author Biography

Greg Fyffe, University of Ottawa

Greg Fyffe is an Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Ottawa Centre for Public Management and Policy. From 2000 to 2008 he was the Executive Director of the International Assessment Staff, which prepared intelligence assessments in the Privy Council Office. He is currently the Vice President of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies, and a consultant on intelligence and security issues. He is also a Senior Fellow, Advanced Leadership Program, at the Canada School of the Public Service.

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Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2011): Spring 2011

Section

Special Section: Canada and 9/11: Ten Years On