Canadian Security Intelligence Service facts for kids

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is Canada's main spy agency. Its job is to protect Canada from serious threats to its safety. CSIS collects information, called intelligence, about things that could harm the country. This includes threats from terrorism, spying by other countries, and serious organized crime.

CSIS works to keep Canadians safe both inside Canada and sometimes abroad. It is often called "SEE-sis."

What is CSIS?

CSIS stands for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. It is like Canada's own spy agency. Its main goal is to keep Canada and its people safe. CSIS gathers and studies information about possible dangers. This information helps the Canadian government make important decisions to protect the country.

What Does CSIS Do?

CSIS has several important jobs. It collects information about threats to Canada's national security. This means looking into things like:

• Terrorism: Groups or people who might use violence to scare others.
• Spying: When other countries try to steal Canada's secrets.
• Serious Crime: Big criminal groups that could harm Canada's safety.

CSIS collects this information in many ways. They then analyze it to understand the threats better. Finally, they report their findings to the Canadian government. This helps the government prevent harm and protect Canadians. CSIS is similar to the CIA in the United States.

Where is CSIS Located?

The main office for CSIS is in Ottawa, Ontario. It is a special building located at 1941 Ogilvie Road. This building was finished in 1995 and was built just for CSIS.

Who Oversees CSIS?

Even though CSIS is a spy agency, it is not allowed to do whatever it wants. It is responsible to the Canadian Parliament. This means that elected officials keep an eye on what CSIS does. The Minister of Public Safety is the government official who is directly in charge of CSIS.

Other groups also watch over CSIS to make sure it follows the law. These include:

• The Federal Court system.
• The Inspector General of Canada.
• The Security Intelligence Review Committee.

These groups help make sure CSIS respects the rights and freedoms of Canadians while doing its important work.

Images for kids

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  The CSIS headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario