Canada should identify a specific intelligence gap before building a foreign espionage agency, two former intelligence officials argue in a study described by The Canadian Press on October 4.
Alan Barnes and Geoff St. John say the debate should begin with information Canada needs but cannot otherwise obtain. Their paper is being published by the Policy Insights Forum, the research wing of lobbying firm Samuel Associates.
The authors warn that covert operations carry diplomatic, financial and human risks. They also argue that a Canadian agency could pursue selected priorities but could not replace the volume of intelligence received from allies.
Barnes told The Canadian Press that stronger intelligence analysis might offer a better return than additional covert collection. St. John said any new agency would need to be effective.
The recommendations come as Ottawa prepares a national-security strategy update and a parliamentary committee examines foreign intelligence capabilities. The report describes a policy debate, not a decision to establish a new service.
