Should Canada build a human-focused, foreign intelligence service? [Video]

Should Canada build a spy service to gather foreign intelligence via human sources?

It’s a question worth asking as the country faces an increasingly unstable relationship with its next-door neighbour, from which Canada has long relied upon to glean key intelligence.

Stephanie Carvin, a former national security analyst for the federal government, says it’s “something we should consider,” or at least have a debate on — and she’s not alone in advocating for Canada to assess how it can boost its foreign-intelligence efforts.

Yet developing such a service would require significant resources and political buy-in to move forward.

“This is not something you do willy-nilly,” said Carvin, an associate professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Why would we want this?

Given the unpredictability of U.S. President Donald Trump’s intentions toward Canada, it’s fair to be concerned about the impact that could have on the information Washington shares with Ottawa.

Separate from that, any foreign intelligence gathered by other parties won’t have …