Canada's electronic spy agency is coming out of the shadows for its biggest recruitment campaign since the Cold War. The clandestine Communications Security Establishment expects to expand its workforce of cyber-spies and high-tech whizzes by at least one-third over the next 18 months, a surge of unprecedented growth for the agency whose roots stretch back to the Second World War.
The Ottawa-based CSE, a secretive wing of the Defence Department, monitors foreign radio, telephone, fax, satellite and computer traffic for information of interest to Canada. The intelligence is used in support of federal crime-fighting, defence and trade policies.
CSE's other key role is the protection of federal computer systems and information networks, including the new "government online" project so Canadians can securely do any two-way transaction with government when completed by 2005. It's also a key player in protecting Canada's critical infrastructure, from power grids to telecommunication networks, that increasingly relies on information technology.
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