Canadian Intelligence Eh
Everywhere you look these days terrorism and violent extremism dominate the headlines. Whether you follow what is happening in Afghanistan or Iraq, or in the West writ large, we are inundated with news of attacks by groups and individuals fighting for a 'cause'.In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counterterrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
Episodes
328 episodes
Spies Like Us - Season 3 Episode 22: Say it ain't so Ma!
Yes, another week with the lads in the virtual bar as they delve into the details of yet another counter terrorism unit in Canada, why a wanker Liberal MP is questioning Chinese use of forced Uyghur labour, and why can the Canadian govern...
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37:17
Quick Hits Episode 272 - Does Toronto Police need its own counter-terrorism unit?
In a surprise announcement on March 24, the Chief of Toronto Police, Myron Demkiw, stated that his force would create a "standalone" counter-terrorism unit. Recent attacks against the US Consulate in Toronto and several Jewish institution...
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12:00
Episode 321 - Will Yemen's Houthis jump into the US-Israel war on Iran?
Most people think little of Yemen, a desperately poor state at the heel of the Arabian Peninsula. Wracked by civil war and a poor economy, it has nevertheless punched well above its weight, forestalling a Saudi-UAE effort to unseat its go...
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25:59
Episode 320 - Why is the Canadian government ignoring national security in the Arctic?
Canada proudly proclaims that it is the 'Great White North', a reference to our long border with the Arctic (and sometimes interminable winters - like this one!). But does it really treat the region as a national security priority (it did...
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29:58
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 20 - IRGC'ing you!
What happens when three ex-spies talk about national security? You get in-depth, insider views of what's happening including why two morons shoot up an empty diplomatic presence at o-dark-hundred, why Canada is level-headed when it comes ...
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35:49
Episode 319 - Does the Canadian government really 'get' national security?
To say that voters do not care about national security is stating the obvious. When they cast their ballot they are more concerned about the economy, jobs, health care, education and other issues, not on what Canada's security services ar...
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27:37
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 19 - Trump: I-ran from Venezuela to the Persian Gulf
In this week's bar chat (ok, the bar is virtual but the beer is real and Al is enjoying a "Juicy Ass" - please don't pursue why!) the lads look at various aspects of the war ("Don't mention the war" - classic John Cleese in Fawlty Towers!...
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36:44
Episode 318 - What is next for Iran?
Wow, what a couple of days! Israeli and US airstrikes are continuing in Iran and the country's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamene'i, is dead. Iran is engaged in counterstrikes in the region and many are worried about where this will all ...
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20:14
Episode 317 - Jihadism in the Sahel keeps getting worse
Not many people, I wager, follow events in Africa, let alone the Sahel, the band that spreads from Mauritania in the west to Sudan in the east. And yet this region is rapidly becoming terrorism central globally as groups aligned with both...
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22:46
Episode 316 - Is Sikh terrorism a thing of the past and are Canadian Sikhs now subject to Indian state violence?
At one point in the not too distant past Sikh Canadians were tarred with the terrorism brush. After all, the bombing of an Air India flight in 1985 in which 329 people - mostly Canadians - were killed was the single largest act of aviatio...
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23:56
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 18 - Repression and loathing in Canada
This week the boys weigh in on a new report on transnational repression (TNR) in Canada, co-authored by one of us (hint: not Neil and not Al), why it is so hard to use intelligence in court cases, and ask whether the Hells Angels owned a ...
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37:34
Episode 315 - What do bucks and bangs have in common?
When most people think of national security they think of things like terrorism, espionage, sabotage and transnational repression. I doubt that economics comes to mind. But what if any is the link between a nation's economy and national s...
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27:49
Spies like us Season 3 Episode 17 - Blowing your final exams: what is it with Western students?
In yet another chat in a virtual bar, the boys look into why a couple of Western University students were arrested on possible national security charges, why Canadians make great targets for Cuban spies, and why hiding behind a snow...
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30:56
Episode 314 - Why does the world not punish China for cultural genocide?
If we look at how many nations put down - or in the worst case scenario kill - ethnic minorities, the list would be a long one. ISIS and the Yazidis. The Ottomans and the Armenians. The Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. And there are many more. ...
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24:21
Episode 313 - Why can we not define hate speech more succinctly?
As Taylor Swift - and no I am NOT a 'Swiftie' - once sang "Haters gotta hate". Hate crimes certainly appear to be on the rise in many parts of the Western world and has a lot of people worried. Unfortunately, the definition of hate is ne...
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34:45
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 16 - Foreign interference finally 'registers' in Canada!
The boys in the virtual bar celebrate Friday with a variety of real beers and have reason to cheer! Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary "the recuser" Anandasangaree finally announces a head of the soon-to-be-created Foreign Influence Tra...
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30:49
Episode 312 - The role of war gaming in national security
Did you play Stratego or Risk as a kid? War games have a long history. Nowadays, modern militaries put a lot of time and money into war simulations. How do these work and what effect do they have? I talk with Rex Brynen, a McGill prof in ...
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21:26
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 15: We were never here, but now we are!
After a short hiatus, the boys are back...and they have a guest! Andrew Kirsch is a former CSIS intelligence officer, an author and willing to talk to us! This is so cool, more people to listen to!
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43:37
Episode 311 - A look at conflict hot zones in 2026
That conflict is part of the human condition goes without saying. What is challenging is determining what kinds of information to rely on when thinking about ongoing conflicts. After all, there is a lot of disinformation and misinformatio...
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28:08
Episode 310 - What was it like to be a sniper in Afghanistan?
Fighting terrorism is complicated. My background is in security intelligence and I know a lot about what goes into a terrorism investigation. When it comes to the military, things are different. On occasions, soldiers need to use lethal f...
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27:10
Episode 309 - Is this the end of the ayatollahs?
It is hard not to be riveted to our screens with what is transpiring in Iran right now. Near a half century of rule by Shia fundamentalists appears, at least to some, to on the brink of collapse as mass demonstrations have led to hundreds...
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25:45
Episode 308 - Language and terrorism: what is the link?
Not surprisingly, terrorism is a very emotive term. When acts take place, the media will often use words and language that vary widely in scope. Some say that we should eschew some vocabulary that may or not be inaccurate, or lead to bias...
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20:15
Episode 307 - What is the role of a foreign ministry in national security?
When we think of intelligence we normally go to spy agencies, be they those which run human sources, collect signals, or do surveillance (on the ground or in the air/space). And yet the people we send abroad as diplomats have access to a ...
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32:30
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 14 - 2026: more doom, gloom...and boom?
Happy New Year fans!! Like many sites Spies Like Us can have a look ahead episode. Here the lads prognosticate on what we can expect to happen in 2026. Oh, and advice from the Hardy Boys on how to use a cut out operative if you are a fore...
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33:39
Episode 306 - How is AI posing a challenge to policing?
You cannot read just about anything these days and not come across the role of AI in everything. We may not be able to agree on whether this new technology is good or bad, but it is not going away. Like all new developments, however, it i...
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25:08