Canada's electronic spy agency facing a staffing crisis
CBC
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE), one of the federal agencies tasked with countering foreign interference, is experiencing a "major staffing crisis," a former CSE spy told Radio-Canada/CBC.
The CSE intercepts and decodes communications of foreign targets that seek to harm Canada. It is also responsible for protecting the federal government's computer network and advising critical infrastructure operators, such as banks and hospitals, on how to protect themselves against cyberattacks.
In a rare interview, the CSE's chief, Caroline Xavier, did not deny that there is a crisis, but said the shortage of cybersecurity experts is a global problem.
"Talk to any other CEO that manages a technical organization, they will all tell you we're competing for top talent," she said. "So it is potentially a national crisis, but it's not a crisis only for CSE".
Recent revelations regarding India and China have given Canadians a glimpse of the threats facing this country.
The Indian government is suspected of having ordered the assassination of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil, while the Chinese government is accused of having led intimidation and disinformation campaigns to try to influence the results of the last federal elections.
It's the loss within the CSE of highly skilled technical experts capable of infiltrating enemy networks, decrypting intelligence and thwarting threats to Canada that is raising concerns.
Radio-Canada/CBC interviewed half a dozen former employees who have left the agency in recent years. We have agreed to withhold their identities due to the nature of their work.
"Some superstars have left," said an ex-CSE spy.
While several former employees agree that the agency still has high-calibre talent, "We can't say there isn't a problem," said one of them.
"I saw a lot of my colleagues leave before I left and I saw a lot of them leave after me," said another former agent.
"I mean, no one is really irreplaceable, but it felt like some of the guys were really irreplaceable. I assume that's a problem."
The CSE depends on computer and cryptography experts to gather and analyze foreign signals intelligence such as telephone calls and computer communications, as well as signals from satellites, radars and other wave-emitting devices.
When technical specialists leave the CSE, they often take with them unique expertise in detecting an array of threats, according to a former spy.
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