Michel Coulombe
Canadian security intelligence director
| Michel Coulombe
| |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Intelligence officer; intelligence director |
| Known for | Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service 13 May 2013 – May 2017[1] CSIS director during the 2015 threat-reduction reforms and 2016 metadata-retention ruling |
| Predecessor | Richard Fadden |
Michel Coulombe led the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) as director, from 2013 to 2017.[1]
Office held
| Office | Start | End | Predecessor | Successor | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service | 13 May 2013 | May 2017 | Richard Fadden | Jeff Yaworski | [1] |
Appointment and career
Michel Coulombe was deputy director for operations at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service before being appointed acting director on 13 May 2013. The appointment was part of senior public-service changes in which Richard Fadden moved to National Defence.[2]
Threat-reduction powers
During Michel Coulombe’s directorship, the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015 gave the Canadian Security Intelligence Service a threat-reduction mandate under section 12.1 of its Act. Jez Littlewood describes this as a significant change from collecting and advising on intelligence to taking reasonable and proportionate measures to reduce threats. The original framework required judicial warrants where a proposed measure would contravene Canadian law or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Subsequent legislation revised the scheme.[3]
Metadata retention and the Federal Court
In 2016 Federal Court judge Simon Noël found that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had unlawfully retained unrelated third-party metadata in its Operational Data Analysis Centre. Jez Littlewood distinguishes the finding about retention beyond what was ‘strictly necessary’ from the legality of the initial collection. His account links the problem to gaps between technical operations, legal advice and disclosure to the court. The Security Intelligence Review Committee likewise identified weaknesses in understanding the legal limits of data retention.[4]
Retirement
In a statement issued on 13 March 2017, Michel Coulombe announced that he would retire from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service at the end of May. He said he had served the federal government for 36 years, including more than 30 with CSIS, and thanked staff for their work and support.[1]
Interim succession
On 12 June 2017, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security listed Jeff Yaworski as acting director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. David Vigneault became director in June 2017.[5][6]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CSIS Director Statement on his retirement, 13 March 2017, accessed 8 November 2026.
- ↑ Prime Minister of Canada, PM announces changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service, April 2013, accessed 8 November 2026.
- ↑ Jez Littlewood, ‘The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)’, in Stephanie Carvin, Thomas Juneau and Craig Forcese (eds), Top Secret Canada: Understanding the Canadian Intelligence and National Security Community, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020, pp. 62–63.
- ↑ Jez Littlewood, ‘The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)’, in Stephanie Carvin, Thomas Juneau and Craig Forcese (eds), Top Secret Canada: Understanding the Canadian Intelligence and National Security Community, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020, pp. 60–61.
- ↑ House of Commons of Canada, Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security: Notice of meeting 69, 12 June 2017, accessed 8 November 2026.
- ↑ Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Director’s Biography, 2021 transition briefing, accessed 8 November 2026.