Good afternoon.
First, I'd like to thank the committee for inviting me to appear before you today. It is an honour to be here representing the 3,000 women and men of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who work diligently every day to keep Canada safe. I want to take this opportunity to thank the committee for taking an interest in what we do.
I am the director general of policy and foreign relations at CSIS, and I am responsible for the strategic policy issues that impact our organization, our corporate policy framework, and our foreign partnerships. It is my pleasure to speak to you about CSIS's role in the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, in which we are named as the recipient of threat-related information.
The service's mandate is clear. We collect information and intelligence and analyze it, and provide advice to the Government of Canada on threats to national security. These threats include espionage, foreign interference, and terrorism and, by extension, terrorist financing.
When CSIS investigates terrorist activity, financial intelligence can play a role in establishing an individual's capability and intent, as well as providing leads for further investigation. Financial intelligence can also aid in detecting domestic attack planning, or plans for overseas travel in support of terrorism. Current CSIS research on mobilization to violence has identified that financial preparations can be a key indicator that an individual is on the path to violence. Unusual spending patterns related to travel, in conjunction with other intelligence, can provide critical leads in an investigation.
Investigating terrorist financing is very much a collaborative effort. Our intelligence assessments are shared with appropriate partners within the Government of Canada as part of the work to keep Canadians safe. CSIS shares information with partners, including FINTRAC, the RCMP, and CBSA. We share information in support of our partners' investigations and mandated activities.
In the area of financial intelligence, FINTRAC is a key partner for CSIS. FINTRAC proactively provides the service with raw financial intelligence when it has reasonable grounds to suspect that the intelligence relates to our mandate. We are also able to request information in support of specific investigations.
Privacy and the protection of information is something we take very seriously. CSIS is bound by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act, ministerial directives, and a robust set of internal policies. At CSIS, we recognize the important responsibility that we have in keeping Canadians safe. The men and women of CSIS do so proudly every day.
With that, I'll conclude my remarks, and I welcome any questions.