J. Michael Cole

Smokescreen: Canadian Security Intelligence After September 11, 2001 J. Michael Cole

Nothing has captured our imagination and fed our nightmares since Sept. 11, 2001, more than international terrorism. The news are filled with "terror," and our government, from the prime minister to security experts, have repeatedly told us that for Canada, it is no longer a question of "if," but "when." But is it really so? This book debunks the system of fear and secrecy that has been used by the Canadian security intelligence establishment, with CSIS in the lead, to increase its powers to dangerous new levels, and raises the alarm over what this could mean for Canadian democracy. Starting from the training of new intelligence officers and ending on the deadly plains of Afghanistan, it shows that external pressure and a willingness at CSIS and other Canadian agencies to play in the "big leagues" of security intelligence have forced us into a "war" with no end that never was ours to begin with. It is an urgent call for a change of course before it is too late, before the very fabric of our society is harmed.