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Turns out we are collecting metadata too! You might be wondering what all these acronyms mean. Rough approximation: CSEC (see-sec) = NSA CSIS (see-sis) = C

Turns out we are collecting metadata too! You might be wondering what all these acronyms mean. Rough approximation: CSEC (see-sec) = NSA CSIS (see-sis) = CIA RCMP (R-C-M-P) = FBI/DEA/ATF/Secret Service/Regular Police (RCMP are federal semi-paramilitary force that can move across provinces, they also serve as a police force in remote regions.)

bane 13y ago
For folks in the states, we usually know the RCMP down here as "Mounties" http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Mountie_in_Banff%2C_Alberta.JPG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Mountie_i...
- WestCoastJustin 13y ago
  Yeah, that is their formal wear. Here is what they look like out on the road. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KTnLVzI2q4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KTnLVzI2q4
hdevalence 13y ago
Another first-order approximation is: the RCMP do "local policing" where there is no local police force. So in Ontario, where there is a provincial police (OPP) the RCMP don't do nearly as much as they would in, say, BC, where there is no provincial police force. (I don't think I've ever seen an RCMP car in Ontario outside of Ottawa).
- eigenvector 13y ago
  The criminal justice system (including police and the courts) is a provincial responsibility in Canada. The only federal piece is the Supreme Court of Canada. Jurisdictions that have no provincial police force (all of them except Ontario and Quebec) contract the RCMP to do their policing but technically could contract it to anyone they want. Arrest warrants are not generally valid outside the province they're issued in (although Canada-wide warrants can be issued in extraordinary circumstances). Municipal police forces receive their authority from the province that they're in. So in theory, the Alberta government (for example), could hire the Montana Highway Patrol to be their police force if they so desired. In short, every jurisdiction in Canada has one and only one agency responsible for enforcing the Criminal Code, and that may be a municipal police force, a provincial force, or the RCMP contracted by a province, depending on where you are. So unlike the USA, the RCMP is not like the FBI in that it does not have any additional powers to any other police agency, just a different jurisdiction.
wcarss 13y ago
I think "acrimonious" was likely supposed to read "acronyms".
- WestCoastJustin 13y ago
  Yes, yes it was! Updated!
canistr 13y ago
CSIS isn't really like the CIA at all. It's a civilian agency responsible for intelligence gathering and sharing that information with the RCMP to make arrests. Their officers do not carry weapons (only police and RCMP have that right) and their oversight is done by the SIRC (Security Intelligence Review Committee). This model is quite different from the CIA. So while it may sound cool to compare them to the CIA, they're not like them at all.
- count 13y ago
  That sounds just like CIA actually. Civilian agency, responsible for intelligence gathering and sharing that information with <others> to <do things>. They're not law-enforcement focused, which might be the key difference you're focusing on?
  - canistr 13y ago
    Yes. Additionally, the CIA has historically been able to perform their own para-military operations which is clearly outside of the scope (and budget) of CSIS.

bane 13y ago

For folks in the states, we usually know the RCMP down here as "Mounties" http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Mountie_in_Banff%2C_Alberta.JPG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Mountie_i...

WestCoastJustin 13y ago
Yeah, that is their formal wear. Here is what they look like out on the road. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KTnLVzI2q4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KTnLVzI2q4

hdevalence 13y ago

Another first-order approximation is: the RCMP do "local policing" where there is no local police force. So in Ontario, where there is a provincial police (OPP) the RCMP don't do nearly as much as they would in, say, BC, where there is no provincial police force. (I don't think I've ever seen an RCMP car in Ontario outside of Ottawa).

eigenvector 13y ago
The criminal justice system (including police and the courts) is a provincial responsibility in Canada. The only federal piece is the Supreme Court of Canada. Jurisdictions that have no provincial police force (all of them except Ontario and Quebec) contract the RCMP to do their policing but technically could contract it to anyone they want. Arrest warrants are not generally valid outside the province they're issued in (although Canada-wide warrants can be issued in extraordinary circumstances). Municipal police forces receive their authority from the province that they're in. So in theory, the Alberta government (for example), could hire the Montana Highway Patrol to be their police force if they so desired. In short, every jurisdiction in Canada has one and only one agency responsible for enforcing the Criminal Code, and that may be a municipal police force, a provincial force, or the RCMP contracted by a province, depending on where you are. So unlike the USA, the RCMP is not like the FBI in that it does not have any additional powers to any other police agency, just a different jurisdiction.

wcarss 13y ago

I think "acrimonious" was likely supposed to read "acronyms".

WestCoastJustin 13y ago
Yes, yes it was! Updated!

canistr 13y ago

CSIS isn't really like the CIA at all. It's a civilian agency responsible for intelligence gathering and sharing that information with the RCMP to make arrests. Their officers do not carry weapons (only police and RCMP have that right) and their oversight is done by the SIRC (Security Intelligence Review Committee). This model is quite different from the CIA. So while it may sound cool to compare them to the CIA, they're not like them at all.

count 13y ago
That sounds just like CIA actually. Civilian agency, responsible for intelligence gathering and sharing that information with <others> to <do things>. They're not law-enforcement focused, which might be the key difference you're focusing on?
- canistr 13y ago
  Yes. Additionally, the CIA has historically been able to perform their own para-military operations which is clearly outside of the scope (and budget) of CSIS.