Canadian Intelligence History at the Crossroads
Historical Reflections on CSIS’ 40th Anniversary
You must register for each day you plan to attend. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m on both days. SOLD OUT
3rd October, 2024
09:00 a.m - 04:30 pm
Canadian War Museum
1, Vimy Place, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada SOLD OUT
4th October, 2024
09:00 a.m - 05:00 p.m
CSIS Headquarters
1941 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa
Ontario, Canada SOLD OUT
About the Conference
Canadian Intelligence History at the Crossroads
This conference was organized by a group of historians interested in the study of intelligence history in Canada. It is timed to reflect on a landmark change to Canadian intelligence practice. The year 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
Panels will include a diverse range of topics, including: Canada and Its Intelligence Partners, Current Research in Canadian Foreign Intelligence History, Intelligence Crises and Emergencies, Contributions of Authorised/Official Intelligence History, the Decline and Fall of the Cold War, and a panel featuring several CSIS officers who will discuss their experience in the service.
The conference will also feature keynotes by: an as of yet un-named representative from the Security Intelligence Service (TBC), Caroline Xavier, Chief of the Communications Security Establishment (TBC), and David Wilson author of Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Policy.
Keynote Speakers
Caroline Xavier is the Chief of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). She was appointed to the position effective August 31, 2022.
Professional experience: Caroline previously held the position of Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, where she was appointed in February 2020. From 2017 to 2020 Caroline was the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Security and Intelligence at the Privy Council Office. Prior to that, she occupied numerous key positions within the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), including Vice-President and Associate Vice-President of the Operations Branch. Before joining the CBSA, she held executive positions with CSE, Industry Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency. Caroline has been with the public service for over 30 years. Education: Caroline is a graduate of the University of Ottawa (Bachelor’s degree in Administration, concentration in Marketing and Informatics) and of Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia (Executive Master’s degree in Electronic Commerce).
David A. Wilson is a Professor in the History Department and Celtic Studies Program at the University of Toronto, and the General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, he has written and edited twelve books, including an award-winning biography of Thomas D’Arcy McGee. His most recent book, Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Police, was the recipient of the Chalmers prize for Ontario history and the C.P. Stacey prize for Canadian military history.
Nicole Giles was appointed to the position of Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in October 2022.
Her portfolio includes strategic policy, public and foreign relations, external review and compliance, litigation and disclosure, employee communication and engagement, and academic outreach and stakeholder engagement. Dr. Giles is a seasoned executive, joining CSIS from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) from where she held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector. Prior to this, Dr. Giles held the position of Director General, International Finance and Development at the Department of Finance, since 2017. During this time, she served as Canada’s Deputy to the World Bank’s International Development Association, and as Canada’s Sherpa for the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action. Previously, Dr. Giles was the Director General for International Assistance Management, and Evaluation and Results, at Global Affairs Canada. She also served as Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Ambassador to Suriname and as Representative Plenipotentiary to CARICOM 2013‒2015. Dr. Giles has worked as Director for Nuclear Security, Submarines and Policy, and served as Director for the Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Crime Capacity Building Programs Division at now Global Affairs Canada. Born and raised in Kamloops, B.C., Dr. Giles holds a Doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford, and has published on subjects such as missile defence and nuclear strategy. She is married with a wonderful son and daughter.
Conference Program
Day One
Date: Thursday 3 October, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m - 4:30 p.m
Venue: The Canadian War Museum
Registration opens at: 8:00 a.m
Please pick up your badges at the Canadian War Museum on Thursday, October 3, 2024 8:00 - 8:45 a.m
(9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m)
Welcome and Keynote
Sarah-Jane Corke, University of New Brunswick, welcomes the audience and introduces Caroline Xavier, Chief of the Communications and Security Establishment (CSE) (TBC)
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Remember to register for both days.
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Day at CSIS headquarters is limited to 25 registered members of the public
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Security check in opens at 8:15
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On-line Registration opens July 8, 2024.
Session One
(10:00 a.m - 11:15 a.m)
Canada and Its Intelligence Partners
Chair:
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Isabel Campbell, Department of National Defence
Presenters:
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The Spies Who Came South from the Cold: CSE’s 1980s Renaissance
Bill Robinson, Citizen Lab
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Following the Digital Snail’s Trail: The Short History of CAF Cyber Operations
Alexander Rudolph, Carleton University
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Transparency Matters in the Five Eyes Now and Then: Canada and Its Intelligence Partners
Lydia Morgan, University of Birmingham
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Intelligence Sharing with Industry: Comparing Canada and its Allies
Maria Robson-Morrow, Harvard University
BREAK
(11:15 a.m -11:30 a.m)
Session Two
(11:30 a.m - 12:45 p.m)
Current Research in Canadian Foreign Intelligence History
Chair:
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Alan Barnes, Carleton University
Presenters:
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The Intelligence Role of Canadian Forces Station Bermuda in the Cold War
David Charters, University of New Brunswick
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Cold War Travellers, Immigrants and
Defectors: Revisiting Canada’s Foreign Intelligence “Interview Program”
Sam Eberlee, University of Toronto
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Mushrooms of Intelligence: Canada’s
Nuclear Cloud Sampling Program in the Cold War
Matthew S. Wiseman, University of Waterloo
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First Among Equals: Lester B. Pearson’s Involvement in the Establishment of the Canadian Examination Unit 1937-41
Rob Martin, Royal Military College
12:45 p.m - 1:45 p.m
Lunch Provided
Session Three
(1:45 p.m - 3:00 p.m)
The Contribution of Authorised/Official Intelligence Histories
Chair:
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Sarah-Jane Corke, University of New Brunswick
Presenters:
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John Ferris, University of Calgary
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Wesley Wark, Centre for International Governance Innovation
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John Blaxland, Australian National University
(3:00 p.m - 3:15 p.m)
BREAK
Session Four
(3:15 p.m - 4:30 p.m)
Tales from the Security State
Chair:
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Professor Emeritus Gregory Kealey, UNB.
Presenters:
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Military Intelligence and the Workers’ Rebellion
Tyler D. Wentzell, University of Toronto
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Stepping Through the Looking Glass: Social Democrat Critiques of National Security Policing in Cold War Canada 1957-1969
Chris Madsen, Canadian Forces College
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RCMP Security Service Surveillance of CPC(M-L) Leader Hardial Bains, 1963-1978
Larry Hannant, University of Victoria
Conference Program
DAY TWO
Date:
Friday October 4, 2024
Time:
9:00 a.m - 5:30 p.m
Venue:
The CSIS Headquarters, 1941 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Please arrive at CSIS Headquarters for Day 2 of the conference between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m for security check-in.
If you are only attending Day 2 you will receive your badge at check in.
Welcome
(9:00 a.m - 10:00 a.m)
Sarah-Jane Corke introduces CSIS Representative, Nicole Giles.
Nicole Giles is the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
Professor Emeritus Gregory Kealey, welcomes the audience and introduces Keynote #2, David A. Wilson
(10 a.m - 11 a.m)
David A. Wilson is a Professor in the History Department and Celtic Studies Program at the University of Toronto, “The Origins of the Canadian Secret Service”
BREAK: 11:00 a.m - 11:15 a.m
Session Five
(11:15 a.m - 12:15 p.m)
Roundtable on CSIS Memories
Chair:
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Dan Stanton
A panel discussion featuring retired CSIS Intelligence Officers
Jim Gough, Don Mahar, Ralph Mahar and Lee Davies, President of the Pillar Society
Lunch Provided
12:15 p.m - 1:15 p.m
Session Six
(1:15 p.m - 2:30 p.m)
The Decline and Fall of the Cold War
Chair:
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Christabelle Sethna, University of Ottawa
Presenters
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Fears of the FLQ Abroad: Documents from the Task Force on Kidnapping
Grace van Vliet, University of Toronto
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Communist Poland’s Military Intelligence in Canada in the 1980s: Objectives, Challenges, and Operating Methods
Marek Hańderek, Jagiellonian University/Institute of National Remembrance
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“A Changed World”: CSIS, the Cold War, and Counter-Terrorism in the 1980s and 1990s
Steve Hewitt, University of Birmingham
BREAK: 2:30 p.m - 2:45 p.m
Session Seven
(2:45 p.m - 3:45 p.m)
Crises and Emergencies: Then and Now
Chair:
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Wesley Wark, Centre for International Governance Innovation
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National Security Crises and Emergency Powers: From the War Measures Act to the Emergencies Act
Reg Whitaker, York University
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The Legal Context of the Invocation of the Emergencies Act
Leah West, Carleton University
Presenters:
Session Eight
(3:45 p.m - 5:00 p.m)
Round Table: The Past, Present, and Future Relevance of Canadian Intelligence History
Chair:
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Greg Fyffe, Executive Director, Intelligence Assessment Secretariat, PCO, 2000-2008.
Presenters:
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Susheel Gupta, Senior Strategic Operations Director, RCMP National Security, and Air India Flight 182 Victims’ Families Association
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Kurt Jensen, Carleton University
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Arne Kislenko, Toronto Metropolitan University
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Sarah-Jane Corke, University of New Brunswick
Conference Closes: 5:00 p.m
Please contact Dr. Sarah-Jane Corke with any questions at
One of the primary goals behind the organization of this conference was to stimulate Canadian students’ interest in intelligence history so the next generation of scholars can begin to take shape.
As a result, all proceeds, above the cost of the conference organization and catering, will be used to fund student participation in the conference. We therefore ask that you register early.
Unfortunately, given our mandate, no refunds will be given for registration.
NO ONE WILL BE ADMITTED WITHOUT PROPER REGISTRATION
Student Participation
One of the goals of this conference is to engage with under-graduate and graduate students who are interested in intelligence. In order to bring students to the conference we have received financial support to cover some student expenses. STUDENT PARTICIPATION For $25.00 is SOLD OUT For DAY ONE AND TWO. STUDENTS CAN STILL REGISTER FOR $100 for Day One This covers lunch and coffee breaks.
If you have any questions, please email Dr. Sarah-Jane Corke at: s-j.corke@unb.ca by August 15th, 2024.
REGISTRATION
Each day of the conference requires separate registration
Registration will open July 5, 2024
October 3, 2024, Canadian War Museum. Sold Out
9:00 a.m – 4:30 p.m
Lunch provided.
Registration limited to 25 people.
Regular:
$100 Ticket Fee + $7.83 Processing & Service Charge: $107.83
Students:
$25 Ticket Fee + $2.96 Processing & Service Charge: $27.96.
Registration opens at: 8:00 a.m
October 4, 2024, CSIS Headquarters SOLD OUT
9:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m
Lunch provided.
Registration limited to 25 people.
Regular:
$100 Ticket Fee + $7.83 Processing & Service Charge: $107.83
SOLD OUT
Students: SOLD OUT
$25 Ticket Fee + $2.96 Processing & Service Charge: $27.96
SOLD OUT.
Registration opens at: 8:15 a.m
Day Two
Hotel Reservations
The Westin Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario.
Reservation dates Check in: October 2nd, 2024
Check out: October 5th, 2024
Total number of rooms 10 rooms available per night so book early
Rate $385.00/night
Marriott Central Reservation line: 1-888-627-8528. Please provide these details when calling:
Group name: Canadian Historical (we have a character limit and the whole name does not fit)
Mini Hotel Code: SSI
Booking dates: Oct 2nd – 5th, 2024
Booking Link Book your group rate for Canadian Historical Reflections on the Occasion of CSIS 40th Anniversary
Confirmed cut-off day Tuesday, September 3rd (any rooms not booked by this date, will be released)
Reservations for the Delta Hotel
The cost is $295.00 plus tax per night for a three night stay
Check in October 2nd, 2024
Check out October 5th, 2024
Please call 1-888-236-2427
Please say you are with the conference Canadian Intelligence History at the Crossroads, or UNB
The final deadline to make reservations is September 3rd, 2024
You must cancel up to 72 hours prior to arrival
Our Sponsors
This conference is sponsored by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communications Security Establishment, the faculty of Arts, the Department of History, at the University of New Brunswick and the University of Toronto. Student participation was facilitated in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
CSIS 40th Anniversary Executive Committee
Her first book US Covert Operations and Cold War Strategy: Truman, the CIA and Secret Warfare was published by Routledge in 2008. Her second book, an edited collection with Mark Stout, Piercing the Veil: Intelligence History and International Spy Museum is under contract with Kansas University Press and is due to be published in 2025. Her third monograph, The Nine Lives of Patricia and John Paton Davies was awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant in 2022. She is also working on a history of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Dr. Sarah-Jane Corke
(s-j.corke@unb.ca) is the co-founder and past-president of the North American Society for Intelligence History (NASIH). She is an associate professor of history at the University of New Brunswick.
Timothy Andrews Sayle is Associate Professor of History at the University of Toronto.
He is the author of Enduring Alliance: A History of NATO and the Postwar Global Order, and editor of several collections of essays on international history. His research interests include Canadian foreign, defence and intelligence history, and he created the website Canada Declassified to encourage study in these fields.
Wesley Wark is a senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, in Waterloo.
He is co-author of the CIGI special report published in 2021, “Reimagining a Canadian National Security Strategy, https://www.cigionline.org/publications/reimagining-a-canadian-national-security-strategy/ Dr Wark wrote a research paper for the Public Order Emergency Commission on “The Role of Intelligence in Public Order Emergencies” (September 2022), https://publicorderemergencycommission.ca/files/documents/Policy-Papers/The-Role-of-Intelligence-in-Public-Order-Emergencies-Wark.pdf His most recent publication is an edited collection, Secret Intelligence: A Reader (2nd, edition, Routledge, 2020). His first book was The Ultimate Enemy: British Intelligence and Nazi Germany 1933-1939 (Cornell University Press, 1984). He has published widely in the field of intelligence studies. He writes a newsletter on national security and intelligence issues, available at: wesleywark.substack.com
CSIS 40th Anniversary Conference Committee of the Whole
Alan Barnes is a former member of the Canadian intelligence community, with service in the Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch, Department of External Affairs, and the Privy Council Office.
He is currently researching the history of strategic intelligence assessment in Canada. Current projects include a study of Canadian intelligence assessments on the Soviet threat to North America, 1946-64, and the evolution of strategic intelligence assessment in Canada from the Second World War to the present. He is co-leader of the Canadian Foreign Intelligence History Project.
Greg Fyffe served as the Executive Director of the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat from 2000 to 2008 and is past president of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies.
He has taught or facilitated courses in intelligence and intelligence leadership, public policy leadership, and strategic thinking. Currently he is a course facilitator with the Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership. He is an enthusiastic reader of intelligence histories as they are useful in understanding the context of current intelligence and security challenges, and the culture of intelligence organizations of both allied and hostile states.
Steve Hewitt, an Associate Professor in the Dept of History at the University of Birmingham in the UK, has written extensively on security and intelligence in the past and present, including in a Canadian, American, and British context.
His books include Spying 101: The RCMP's Secret Activities at Canadian Universities, 1917-1997, The British War on Terror: Terrorism and Counterterrorism on the Home Front since 9/11, Snitch: A History of the Modern Intelligence Informer, and, co-written with Christabelle Sethna, Just Watch Us: RCMP Surveillance of the Women's Liberation Movement in Cold War Canada. Currently, he is working on a history of terrorism and counter-terrorism in Canada.
Gregory S. Kealey, CM, FRSC is an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of New Brunswick.
His most important works in this field are Secret Service (UTP, 2012) with Reg Whitaker and Andy Parnaby, and Spying on Canadians (UTP, 2017).
Bill Robinson is a Research Fellow at the Citizen Lab (Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto).
He maintains a blog on Canadian signals intelligence activities past and present (luxexumbra.blogspot.com) and wrote the chapter on the Communications Security Establishment in Top Secret Canada: Understanding the Canadian Intelligence and National Security Community (U of T Press, 2021). He also contributed a chapter on the history of CSE ("From 1967 to 2017: CSE's Transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age") to Big Data Surveillance and Security Intelligence: The Canadian Case (UBC Press, 2020) and wrote about CSE's role during COVID-19 ("Collection and protection in the time of infection: The Communications Security Establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic") in Stress Tested: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Canadian National Security (University of Calgary Press, 2021). From 1986 to 2001 he was on the staff of the Canadian peace organization Project Ploughshares.
Reg Whitaker is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, York University and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, University of Victoria.
He has researched and written in Canadian security intelligence history, especially from World War II through the Cold War and the Global War on Terror. He also worked on two commissions of inquiry into national security - the Maher Arar Commission and the Air India Commission - and also served as chair of an advisory panel that reviewed airline and airport security for the Government of Canada. He collaborated with Greg Kealey on the history of the security service (Secret Service: Political Policing in Canada), with Steve Hewitt on the Cold War (The Cold War in Canada) and with Stuart Farson on articles and reports on security intelligence review and oversight.
Getting to Canadian Intelligence History at the Crossroads
Day One, Canadian War Museum
Light Rail This is the quickest way. You can buy a ticket at machines inside the station. Downtown stations are Lyon, Parliament, and Rideau (Centre). Travel West (Tunney’s Pasture Train) to Pimisi station. This will only take a few minutes and then there is a walk along Booth Street to the War Museum (5 to 10 minutes). You can see the War Museum from the station.
Driving There is underground parking for $13 per day. Access from the Ottawa side is a bit awkward, so look at your phone map first. If you go down Booth you will have to turn left to an area behind the Museum, and then drive in the reverse direction on Booth to the roadway in front of the Museum.
Taxi or Uber It is a short ride although there may be heavy morning traffic. Only recommended if it is raining.
Walking Unless you are familiar with the area, trying to go straight on a diagonal to the War Museum is not recommended. It is actually a very confusing route. Walk west along Albert Street to Booth, turn right onto Booth and follow it to the War Museum.
Day Two, CSIS Building
Note: Plan to arrive early at CSIS as there is a control booth just inside the main doors which all visitors must go to. This takes time and there will be a line-up.
Light Rail Using the light rail system is highly recommended as it is by far the fastest method during rush hour. Board at Lyon, Parliament or Rideau Centre and travel east on the Blair train. Blair is the last stop (15-20 minutes). When you leave the station, you will be at the back of a small shopping plaza. Go around it to your left to City Park Drive, and follow it to the Chapters store in the distance on Ogilvie Road. Cross there and follow the roadway into the CSIS complex—the building on your right. (The building on the left is CSE). Do not use the separate pedestrian pathway through the trees that employees are using, as they have a pass for the gate that restricts entry to the grounds. There is no active barrier if you follow the roadway. Walking time from the station is 15-20 minutes.
Driving Do not take your car to CSIS. There is very, very limited guest parking. There is no close on-street parking for more than a brief period. Residents in the surrounding area will report cars that appear to be parked for business at CSIS and you will get a ticket or worse. The shopping centre patrols for people using their parking for access to the light rail or CSIS.
Taxi or Uber You can save a bit of the time needed to walk from the light rail station to CSIS HQ, but you risk losing time due to morning rush-hour traffic. It will be expensive.
Walking CSIS HQ is a long way from downtown Ottawa and too far to walk.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON VISIT TO CSIS HEAQUARTERS
Canadian Intelligence History at the Crossroads
Historical Reflections on CSIS’ 40th Anniversary
4 October 2024
The discussion will be in English only (no simultaneous translation).
Location
The event is held at the CSIS Headquarters located at 1941 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa.
Schedule
It will commence at 09:00 sharp and will adjourn at 5:00. Lunch and refreshment will be served in the Lounge.
Transportation and Security Protocol
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Taking a taxi or the O’Train is strongly encouraged. With limited visitor parking (from Blair Rd), securing a parking spot for personal vehicles is often very challenging.
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If at all possible, leave all electronic devices (mobile phone, laptop, USB keys, Apple watch, etc..) in your car or home. If you must bring these items with you, they will be placed in a locker at our main reception.
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Please bring a photo ID with you. Entry into the building will not be permitted without it.
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Security check in opens at 8:15.
Contact Information
