Canada is apparently a hive of foreign spies and Ottawa is "crawling with them," according to an Ottawa Citizen article about a new book, titled Nest of Spies. The book was written by an investigative journalist and a former intelligence officer with the RCMP Security Service and Canadian Security Intelligence Service. If the article is any indication, this book is just laden with intrigue and scandal. For example, it claims that 1970s/1980s Russian hockey star Vladislav Tretiak was also a spy "talent scout," recruiting new secret agents for the Soviet Union. From the Ottawa Citizen:
Buy "Nest of Spies: The Startling Truth About Foreign Agents at Work Within Canada's Borders" (Amazon)
"The spies who love us" (Ottawa Citizen, thanks Chris Arkenberg!)Led by the Chinese but including intelligence officers from at least 20 nations including allies, the book says, the infiltrators are stealing an estimated $20 billion to $30 billion annually worth of cutting-edge research in products and technologies, other scientific, business and military know-how and political secrets. Others, it says, are infiltrating ethnic communities, suppressing criticism of homeland governments, recruiting industrial spies, stoking political violence among the diaspora and operating front companies and political lobbies aimed at manipulating government policies.
Proportionately, it estimates more spies operate here than in the U.S...
"The great Tretiak was quite a celebrity in his day, and not only among hockey fans. CSIS was also an avid Tretiak-watcher. A number of good sources inside the organization have told us that Tretiak was 'ticketed' at the time. That means that he was believed to be a 'co- opted' individual, somebody who has been recruited as an informer and was being paid or recompensed in some way. There were hundreds of these back then, especially among Soviet citizens like himself who had received job offers from outside the homeland." But, the book continues, "there was also a hypothesis that he was more than a simple informer." In Friday's interview, Juneau- Katsuya said one of three CSIS sources believes Tretiak worked as a "talent-spotter" for the Russian foreign intelligence service, the SVR, successor to the KGB.
Buy "Nest of Spies: The Startling Truth About Foreign Agents at Work Within Canada's Borders" (Amazon)
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Ottawa Citizen article
Ooops, thank you! Fixed!
Sounds like the government needs to crack down on the government rather than the people.
And Tretiak is a very similar name to Trebek, and Alex Trebek is a known Canadian. It all fits!
Sounds like the MAFIAA to me.
Now don't go thinking Canada's that interesting.
Fabrice De Pierrebourg has written more than a couple of speculative exercises in xenophobia such as this. Notably, another book of his titled "Montrealistan" claims that al Quaida and international Jihadists are currently colonizing Quebec.
Really, if he had actually exposed even one international spy or terrorist, would he live to do it twice?
Beyond espionage of the industrial and academic varieties, what secrets does Canada have that are worth stealing? The bits about influencing gov't policy (which is only fair considering the amount of influence the U.S.A. applies in a not-so-covert manner), agitating the diasporas, and that kind of stuff sounds more likely.
Seems there's a market for private counter-intelligence firms in Canada, eh?
Who needs real spies when you could follow a cabinet minister around and pick up all the info you want when they leave their binders behind.
#7 (currently)...I've always wanted to try counter intelligence / counter surveillance. : )
No surprises here.
As I said in another thread, Canada has always been like this. It's the audition for spies wanting to go to the US and there are lots of diaspora to keep your eyes on. Previous to this book there was one about an apostate KGB guy who used to work in the KGB central records office. He confirmed things like the Communist Party of Canada getting at least 1/2 of their money directly from Moscow and that the "Russian-Canadian Friendship Society" was *real* friendly with his lot.
These days it's mostly the Chinese and Americans although every postage stamp sized country like Latveria probably has at least a couple of guys watching their refugees. For example, Toronto is the second biggest Estonian city and our Italians elect two Italian MPs through their proportional voting system.
The Chinese are busy watching the huge Falun Gong presence and making sure that no one puts up any monuments or placards that might offend Bejiing (by ripping them down in the middle of the night if necessary). Now, although the Americans wouldn't be allowed to tell us not to lick razor blades without causing a National Outrage - let alone tell us that "there'll be trouble" if we do something they don't like as the Chinese do if Orangeville decides to have a "Falun Gong Day" - I'm sure that their boys have a big budget to influence and spy on all our trade negotiations. We're still the US's biggest trading partner and their only politically stable foreign source of energy.
What's the pay like? (just asking)
Vancouver was apparently a huge center of espionage activity during the cold war.
Last 5 years:
6 x Japan harvests scientists
384 x China harvests product information and resources
574 x US harvests companies via government collusion (There is nothing CSIS knows the NSA does not)
2 x Iran "invites" people to visit
6 x Israel infiltrates secured facilities
14 x UK monitors political infrastructure
68 x Russians still are after anything that makes money
Still is an issue comrades as the odd headless and limbless corpse still pop up.
Generally,
spies fail to enter the US,
eventually get bored with the snow,
and go home because Canada is lame.
"Beyond espionage of the industrial and academic varieties, what secrets does Canada have that are worth stealing?"
If we're going to try to be a tad more grownup than say, Fark, then can we dispense with the "hurr hurr other countries think they have things that matter" material?
Canada has a tremendous number of high-tech firms in partnerships and collaborations with other technology companies globally, in a range of industries. Agents in one company are well positioned to siphon material from a variety of sources. The Chinese aren't even particularly discreet about it.
Canada has a tremendous number of high-tech firms in partnerships and collaborations with other technology companies globally, in a range of industries.
Not to mention Celine Dion, maple syrup and dulse, eh?
This sounds like more of the same scare tactics to manipulate.
He 'says' this 'says' that but I hear no mention of evidence of 'proof' 'convictions' etc.
This is a guy schilling books, and nearly everything that John Stewart said to the clowns on Crossfire could be said to this guy.
How is this any different than the bs accusations that Canada is the center of digital piracy? Now evidence for that either.
I'd be curious to know how CSIS (which was formed in 1984) managed to "ticket" Vladislav Tretiak in the 1970s. I guess the real story here is that Canada has been covertly operating Mr. Peabody's Wayback machine down in the basement of the DND ever since the Mulroney era.
Do
you
remember
Intrepid
Did the
CIA
come from a canoe?
My old boss is on page 131!!!
I think he works here:
http://www.xing.com/profile/ToVan_Tran
here is his resume though:
http://www.tovantran.com/
check it out!!!
Where did he work after Mitel!!!
ekkks!!!
We are stupid in America that's for damn sure. Niave!!!!
Big time!!!