OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada's spy agency has been denied warrants for overseas electronic intercepts against nine Canadians and a foreigner, the federal court said in a statement.
In a decision late Friday, Justice Edmond Blanchard wrote: "I find that this court is without the jurisdiction to issue the warrant sought. Accordingly, the request is denied."
None of the targets were named, and court files were censored, so it is not known if the suspects are linked or separated by motive and country.
Since its inception in the 1980s, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service has been largely restricted by law to domestic operations.
But its leaders have argued in recent years for permission to carry out overseas espionage, saying their hands are tied if suspects leave Canada and threats to national security are international.
Compounding the problem, Canada's wiretapping Communications Security Establishment is barred from eavesdropping on Canadian citizens, creating a fuzzy area not monitored by either the national cryptologic agency or CSIS.
Because of the latest ruling, CSIS "has elected not to move forward with this particular initiative," spokeswoman Manon Berube told the daily Globe and Mail.
CSIS had sought permission for a "telecommunications intercept," she explained, and wanted court clarification on this issue.
The US Central Intelligence Agency and Britain's MI6 routinely engage in foreign espionage.
Berube commented: "Those wishing to cause harm to Canada do not restrict their movements to Canada's borders ... when it comes to international terrorism."
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