OTTAWA - The head of Canada's spy agency says people accused of terrorism are too often portrayed as romantic revolutionaries.
Richard Fadden, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, chastised the country's civil-rights advocates and media for presenting a distorted picture of the threat.
In his first public speech as CSIS chief, Fadden called Thursday for a nuanced debate worthy of a G8 country, saying Canada is not immune from extremism.
"A more balanced presentation is what I'm hoping for," Fadden told a conference of academics and security officials.
He said Canada has a serious blind spot when it comes to genuine discussion of terrorism.
As a result, young people charged with plotting violence are considered too naive to carry out such deadly acts.
After speaking, he refused to take questions from reporters, saying he didn't want to turn the proceedings into a media event.
In his speech, Fadden endorsed a federal move to make it easier for security agencies to intercept phone calls and emails.
He said terrorists should not have a "virtual safe haven" that spans the globe.
The proposed federal legislation would require telecommunications service providers to include intercept capabilities in their networks. It would also allow authorities to obtain information about subscribers and their mobile devices without a warrant.
Opponents have raised concerns about the scope of information involved and how it would be used.
A longtime bureaucrat, Fadden took over as CSIS director in late June.
He has inherited several thorny problems.
The spy service's cases against two terror suspects held on security certificates faltered when it failed to disclose important evidence. A third case collapsed because CSIS withdrew material it did not want to become public.
Fadden defended that move Thursday, saying the sensitive material represented a "roadmap to our tradecraft and sources."
In July, the agency's watchdog said CSIS may need major changes after finding it ignored concerns about human rights and Omar Khadr's young age in deciding to interview the Toronto-born teen at a U.S. military prison.
The Security Intelligence Review Committee called for "guidance and advice" from Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan to help the spy service meet legal and public demands in the post-9/11 world.
A key issue is the agency's dealings with countries that do not always respect human rights, and whether the spy service's relationship with them puts jailed Canadians and others at risk of abuse.
Three Canadians tortured in overseas prisons are suing the government over the role security agencies played in passing information to foreign police and intelligence officials.
In addition, the spy service's role in the case of Montrealer Abousfian Abdelrazik, who was stranded for years in Sudan, is being scrutinized by the agency watchdog.
