Canada’s spy agency has a new leader as allegations of foreign interference and invasion intensify.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office appointed Daniel Rogers as the next Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), effective October 28.
He has worked for Canadian intelligence agencies for many years of his civil service career. Most recently, he served as Deputy National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister. Prior to that, he spent 10 years working for the Communications Security Agency, Canada’s foreign signals intelligence agency.
Mr. Rogers’ appointment comes amid growing concerns about interference in Canadian politics by the governments of China and India.
On Monday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duhem publicly claimed that Indian government agents are involved in “widespread” acts of violence in Canada, including murder.
Over the past year, CSIS has also had to publicly confront the growing threat of foreign interference from the Chinese and Indian governments.
CSIS’ response to these threats has been questioned by participants in an ongoing investigation into foreign interference.
Director Marie-Josée Hoag, who oversees public investigations into foreign interference, said CSIS “can be sensitive to details when sharing with others the information it collects and the conclusions it draws.” I wrote.
CSIS tackles sexual assault scandal
Mr. Rogers takes over amid growing calls for culture reform at the spy agency in the aftermath of rape and harassment allegations linked to the British Columbia office.
A CSIS employee said she was raped nine times by a senior colleague in a surveillance vehicle in 2019 and 2020, the Canadian Press reported. Despite being reportedly warned not to pair CSIS officers with young women, a second officer said she was subsequently sexually assaulted by the same man.
Former manager David Vigneault promised reforms before resigning earlier this year.
Mr. Rogers will oversee a broader range of intelligence agencies. In June, the federal government passed Bill C-70, a wide-ranging bill to combat foreign interference.
The bill would change how CSIS applies for warrants, update rules on who CSIS can account for, and launch the long-awaited Foreign Influence Transparency Registry.
