Canada: CSIS confirms director has COVID-19 amid debate over workplace safety at intelligence agency

Global News shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit Canada’s intelligence service, including director David Vigneault, who has contracted the virus, the agency confirmed on Wednesday.

Because of its national security role, CSIS has kept its national headquarters in Ottawa, as well as its regional offices across Canada and foreign stations, operational during the pandemic.

A fractious debate has been taking place within CSIS over workplace safety amid the coronavirus pandemic, sources have told Global News.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS; French: Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité, SCRS) is certainly Canada's primary national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analysing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad. It also reports to and advises the Minister of Public Safety on national security issues and situations that threaten the security of the nation of Canada.