Clause 27 of the current bill concerns gathering foreign intelligence. Clause 28 concerns cybersecurity. Clause 31 concerns active measures, as you said earlier. Active measures, as defined in the law, are not meant to apply to gathering intelligence. We are not supposed to interfere with the system.
The examples are many. There could be operations for military purposes. At this time, the military would turn to the CSE to reach their goal, which is fine. The CSE could also help other agencies.
Clause 31 implies that the CSE could carry out activities that might intercept communications, for instance involving international relations. This goes beyond the framework involving other countries where operational purposes are security and defence. The term “international affairs” can mean many things.
We have to consider the fact that the commissioner will be involved in such decisions. Clause 27 would authorize the same type of information-gathering activity, and the activity will be reviewed. We do not really understand why the commissioner would be excluded when it comes to active operations. As you said, this is something new.