OTTAWA — A key intelligence watchdog is calling on the government to urgently review its governing law after cancelling a review of Canada’s spy agency due to a lack of proper legal protection for its staff.

The decision to cancel the review was not taken lightly, says the head of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), because the watchdog had already found “issues of concern” with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

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“NSIRA’s inability to proceed with this pertinent review highlights the urgency and necessity of legislative reforms intended to be a part three-year review of the National Security Act, 2017,” reads a 2024 review termination letter sent by NSIRA chair Marie Deschamps to then-Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

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