Secret Service

Political Policing in Canada From the Fenians to Fortress America

Gregory S Kealey author Reg Whitaker author Andrew Parnaby author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of Toronto Press

Published:6th Jul '12

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Secret Service cover

'This premier, authoritative guide to Canadian security intelligence from the 1860s to 2010 attains a rare degree of excellence in scholarship. Representing the fruit of decades of research, Secret Service brings a wealth of material together for the first time and demonstrates the authors' impressive collective grasp of the history of Canadian security intelligence. Among this book's undoubted highlights are the best-ever treatments to appear of the Air India disaster, the RCMP's role in the Quebec crisis, and the Mackenzie and McDonald Commissions; as well as its analysis Canadian security practices after 9/11. Secret Service will stand as a reference source of inestimable value for years to come.' -- Wesley Wark, Department of History, University of Toronto

Secret Service highlights the many tensions that arise when undercover police and their covert methods are deployed too freely in a liberal democratic society. It will prove invaluable to readers attuned to contemporary debates about policing, national security, and civil rights in a post-9/11 world.

Secret Service provides the first comprehensive history of political policing in Canada – from its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century, through two world wars and the Cold War to the more recent 'war on terror.' This book reveals the extent, focus, and politics of government-sponsored surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations.

Drawing on previously classified government records, the authors reveal that for over 150 years, Canada has run spy operations largely hidden from public or parliamentary scrutiny – complete with undercover agents, secret sources, agent provocateurs, coded communications, elaborate files, and all the usual apparatus of deception and betrayal so familiar to fans of spy fiction. As they argue, what makes Canada unique among Western countries is its insistent focus of its surveillance inwards, and usually against Canadian citizens.

Secret Service highlights the many tensions that arise when undercover police and their covert methods are deployed too freely in a liberal democratic society. It will prove invaluable to readers attuned to contemporary debates about policing, national security, and civil rights in a post-9/11 world.

‘Secret Service provides an excellent overview of how Canada’s security service engaged in the political policing of its citizens over the course of Canadian History… It serves as one of the most complete studies ever produced on the topic.’ -- Dennis Molinaro * Canadian Historical Review, vol 94:01:2013 *

‘An excellent history… Deeply scholarly yet refreshing unacademic in its tone and temper, the text bridges with considerable skill the requirements of rigorous, measured analysis of a wide variety of sources that is inherent in good history… The book deserves to be widely read.’

-- Jez Littlewood * Literary Review of Canada vol 21:04:2013 *
‘This book, rich in both detail and analysis, is the definitive source on political policing in Canada. It should be of interest to all those interested in Canadian history as well as to specialists in the history of policing and intelligence.’ -- Kent Roach * Law and History Review, May 2014 *
‘This is a must read for anyone interested in intelligence in Canada… It is also a very important study for those interested in how the boundaries of race, class, gender, and difference were coercively enforced by a secret state within the state.’ -- Jeremy Buddenhagen * BC Studies number 182: summer 2014 *

‘Secret Service provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Canada’s capabilities and objectives in political policing… The information is presented in a refreshingly jargon-free manner.’

-- Curtis Robinson * Canadian Military History vol 24:02:2015 *

  • Winner of Canada Prize in the Social Sciences awarded by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences 2013 (Canada)
  • Commended for John A. Macdonald Prize awarded by the Canadian Historical Association 2013 (Canada)
  • Short-listed for Donald Smiley Prize awarded by the Canadian Political Science Association 2013 (Canada)
  • Short-listed for J.W. Dafoe Book Prize 2013 (Canada)

ISBN: 9780802078018

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 43mm

Weight: 980g

720 pages