Excerpts: > Of particular concern to the government is a potential lawsuit from Mr. Spavor that has put a spotlight on Canada’s Global Security Reporting Progr

Excerpts: > Of particular concern to the government is a potential lawsuit from Mr. Spavor that has put a spotlight on Canada’s Global Security Reporting Program, the sources say. Mr. Kovrig, during his time as a Canadian diplomat, worked for the GSRP, a special unit within the intelligence branch of Global Affairs Canada that sends foreign service officers to hot spots to collect security-related information for Ottawa. ... > The partially redacted report does not mention Mr. Kovrig by name, but the watchdog warned about the overlap between GSRP officers and CSIS agents at missions abroad. It concluded that inadequately trained GSRP officers do not appreciate the risks and dangers associated with overseas contacts and sources. ... > “It was not clear if all officers understood that once they are no longer afforded diplomatic immunity, a receiving state may seek retaliatory measures against them,” the report said, adding former GSRP officers “may be liable to prosecution for illegal acts they performed during the mission if they later re-enter the receiving state without the protection of diplomatic immunity.” ... > The Globe has also reported that Canadians Kevin and Julia Garratt were detained by Chinese authorities in 2014 after Mr. Garratt met a GSRP officer. ... Mr. Garratt said he would not have spoken to GSRP officer Martin Laflamme had he known the discussions would be passed on to CSIS and its Five Eyes intelligence partners, the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. ... > The Department of Global Affairs says GSRP officers are not covert intelligence operators and do not recruit, handle or pay sources. But NSIRA found that there were no internal policies and protocols in place to provide guidance to GSRP officers, particularly those in countries where there is a “high degree of mistrust for outsiders; often take a hard line on internal security matters; and, tend to deploy mass surveillance on foreigners and citizens.” > NSIRA discovered cases where GSRP officers engaged with local intelligence agencies in the countries where they were posted and instances where these Canadian diplomats collected what appeared to be classified information from sources. “The contact mentioned serious consequences if he was caught with the information,” the review recounted. It discovered another case where a GSRP officer even requested, and received, classified information from a contact. > NSIRA concluded that the GSRP is operating in a “distinctly grey zone” and said the matters raised in its report would likely spark a “renewed conversation” about Canada setting up a foreign human-intelligence collection agency.