The head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency (CSIS) told the federal government that the invocation of the Emergencies Act was necessary to bring the Freedom Convoy to an end..David Vigneault, the head of CSIS, told the Public Order Emergency Commission that at "no point" did the organization believe the Freedom Convoy constituted a threat to the security of Canada under Section 2 of the CSIS act.."He felt an obligation to clearly convey the service's position that there did not exist a threat to the security of Canada as defined by the service's legal mandate," said the document, which was released last week..However, during a Feb. 13 meeting with the Incident Response Group, Vigneault told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the invocation of the Emergencies Act was "indeed required.".Vigneault said this was based on his understanding that the Emergencies Act definition of a threat to Canada's security is broader than CSIS' definition..“You remember saying that during the closed session?” counsel asked.."Yes," Vigneault responded..CSIS' definition of a threat to Canada's security includes serious violence against people or property, espionage, foreign interference or an intent to overthrow the government by violence..According to the interview summary, Vigneault also explained that the Emergencies Act "cannot be read in a manner that gives CSIS the exclusive authority to determine whether there exists a public order emergency, as this is the responsibility of the federal government."."Vigneault explained that, although section 16 of the [Emergencies Act] references the definition of a threat to the national security of Canada set out in section of the CSIS Act, the two statutes are concerned with distinct issues.".Last week, Jody Thomas, the prime minister's security and intelligence adviser, also told the commission that she believed the definition of a "threat to security of Canada" under the terms of the Emergencies Act should be modified to "better reflect the times.".During the commission, CSIS officials described to the commission the potential threats posed by Ideologically motivated violent extremists (IMVEs). Michelle Tessier, the CSIS deputy director of operations, told the commission that about 50% of CSIS resources are allocated to IMVEs, which is a "significant increase" from over a decade ago..Tessier also said CSIS has been seeing an increase in threats against public officials and anti-authority rhetoric in recent years. She said CSIS is concerned with the potential for IMVEs to exploit Canadians' greivances to justify their ideologies and inspire others to act violently.. A document shown to the commission noted that since 2014, IMVEs have killed 25 Canadians..Another document indicated that by Jan. 27, CSIS had not spotted any tangible IMVE threats. By Feb. 10, "no "formal organized plot of violence" had been identified by CSIS.".As the Public Order Emergency Commission reaches its final week, the prime minister and several members of his cabinet are expected to testify.
