Spies Like Us

As Phil sips on a "Lumbersexual" IPA - whatever that means - and jet-lagged Al is barely comatose (and Neil is, well, Neil) - the lads weigh in on why should NOT bring ISIS terrorists home, including those who go to a firing range on their wedding day, why legal access challenges for security intelligence and law enforcement agencies are looming, and why a jihadi impersonating a woman (hey, don't laugh, it has happened!) should wear gloves (thanks Hardy Boys for the hint). The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the bar is open!

With Al's triumphant return from wherever he was - don't ask, don't tell! - the lads weigh in on Canada's joke of a citizenship removal system despite obvious fraud and terrorism links, the US counter-terrorism ?strategy? that somehow missed all the right-wing wankers down south, and CT czar Sebastian Gorka's obsession with low-hanging fruit. Always on topic, never boring. It's time for Spies Like Us!

After a short hiatus the Al-less boys - does this make us a duet? - are back and it's all about China. Neil and Phil talk with Canada's top Sinologist (that means China watcher for you non-China watchers) Charles Burton about why exactly the Canadian government under Prime Minister Mark Carney is kowtowing (how's that for a Chinese term??) to the PRC and ignoring the obvious national security threats despite what the security services are saying to the country. A sneak peak at an upcoming Pillar Society Speakers' Series talk in late May! 

Yes, another week with the lads in the virtual bar as they delve into the details of yet another counter terrorism unit in Canada, why a wanker Liberal MP is questioning Chinese use of forced Uyghur labour, and why can the Canadian government not look into problematic foreign student applications? Pull up a stool, order a pint (except for Neil!) and join in the conversation

What happens when three ex-spies talk about national security? You get in-depth, insider views of what's happening including why two morons shoot up an empty diplomatic presence at o-dark-hundred, why Canada is level-headed when it comes to threat and an ode to Emperor Cheetoh. Pony up at the bar and have a listen!

In this week's bar chat (ok, the bar is virtual but the beer is real and Al is enjoying a "Juicy Ass" - please don't pursue why!) the lads look at various aspects of the war ("Don't mention the war" - classic John Cleese in Fawlty Towers!), why the Persian Gulf is more of a swamp, and why President Trump may not want to distort his face with anger. Join us and hoist a pint!

This week the boys weigh in on a new report on transnational repression (TNR) in Canada, co-authored by one of us (hint: not Neil and not Al), why it is so hard to use intelligence in court cases, and ask whether the Hells Angels owned a shipping line. Three spies, three beers (well two since Al was drinking something called 'water'), and a virtual bar - what more can one ask for?

In yet another chat in a virtual bar, the boys look into why a couple of Western University students were arrested on possible national security charges, why Canadians make great targets for Cuban spies, and why hiding behind a snowman is a great way to spy on someone (and so Canadian!).

The boys in the virtual bar celebrate Friday with a variety of real beers and have reason to cheer! Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary "the recuser" Anandasangaree finally announces a head of the soon-to-be-created Foreign Influence Transparency Registry! It may have been a long time in coming, but they needed to choose a wall colour first (enquiring minds want to know: was it Pantone's colour for 2026 - Cloud Dancer?). And will the new office have the US at the top of its list? One thing that never lists is Spies Like Us!

After a short hiatus, the boys are back...and they have a guest! Andrew Kirsch is a former CSIS intelligence officer, an author and willing to talk to us! This is so cool, more people to listen to!

Happy New Year fans!! Like many sites Spies Like Us can have a look ahead episode. Here the lads prognosticate on what we can expect to happen in 2026. Oh, and advice from the Hardy Boys on how to use a cut out operative if you are a foreign state sowing mayhem in another country.

As 2025 draws to a close, Al, Phil and Neil look back at what made national security headlines this year, wonder why Gary Anandasangaree is still Canada's Public Safety Minister, and figure out why Neil can't be host of the podcast. Despite a lack of good news, we end with a note of holiday cheer!

The boys are back - with Al having returned from a Top Secret mission to Casablanca where he ate and drank too much - and just in time to weigh in on a whole bunch of foiled and successful terrorist attacks! With Grizzly Bear's reappearance Phil no longer has to ?sing? the musical intro but he does get to mark a special birthday!

While Al is AWOL - didn't he just get back from vacation? - Neil and Phil fill (!) in ably and are joined by former FBI Agent Lauren Anderson to talk about what the heck if happening at the FBI.  No fake guns or challenge coins were harmed in this recording by the way.

An Al-less trio - which makes Neil and Phil a dynamic duo! - weighs in on CSIS Director Dan Rogers first ?annual? threat overview speech and what Canadians should take away from it. From terrorism to foreign interference to transnational repression to the Canadian Arctic, we look at the landscape but refrain from singing Celine Dion's 'My heart will go on' for obvious reasons.

To mark Remembrance Day, an important time to pay their respects to the Canadian women and men who paid the ultimate sacrifice, the lads talk about the role that intelligence played in the Afghan conflict.

After attending an early Remembrance Day ceremony at the National Beechwood Cemetery, the guys keep the serious tone by looking at why the UAE is sponsoring genocide in Sudan, why India is sponsoring assassinations abroad and why the world's greatest game show was sponsored by a Canadian.

In a special (post) Hallowe'en edition of 'Spooks Like Us', your favourite ex-spies weigh in why the Brits are frightfully good at prosecuting sabotage, why Canada is horror-ible at removing threats to national security, and whether anyone can trust US intelligence under the abomination that is Emperor Cheetoh. Prepared to be scared out of your comfort zone!

Why tulips are better than one in intimate intelligence sharingThis week your favourite Canadian ex-spies weigh in on why the Dutch are not paying for their dates with the US, yet again why Canada cannot decide on the paint colour for the walls of the Foreign Register and why moxie matters (a la Nancy Drew).

After the Thanksgiving break, the lads are back to talk about 'eternal' peace in the Middle East thanks to Emperor Cheetoh, why are Canadian spy agencies subject to so much review and would you go to an Indian crime syndicate for community relations? As usual, the boys in the virtual bar share their views in a candid fashion.

This week the lads delve into the increasing challenge of encryption, Canada's addiction to listing everyone as a terrorist group and wonder why Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree did not say anything daft this week.

In episode 3 of season 3 the lads weigh in on the implications of the Canadian government's recognition of Palestine, why Canada kneed an Irish hip hop band in the...knee, and what has Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said now?

While drug-addled Al deals with a centipede from the seventh layer of hell, the boys (sober for once) delve into the rhetoric over the far left/far right in the West, why labeling organised crime groups terrorists is a 'terror-ible' idea and offer some great advice to crooks from Frank and Joe Hardy.

The guys are back in the virtual bar for another season! After two months of R&R they delve into the arrest of a self-appointed ‘Queen of Canada/World”, counselling sessions for ISIS terrorists (‘couch jihadis’?) and why ‘native extremist’ investigations were warranted. Oh, and another poem by Phil where he finds rhymes for ‘ISIS’.

What do you get when you let three former spies loose on questions from their 'fans'? The regular 'ask us' episode! We bet you have never had to think about the importance of a Farsi (Persian)-speaking parrot. Only here...

This week the lads weigh in on the killing of two politicians in Minnesota, US Emperor Cheetoh's dismissal of his own nation's intelligence and what to do if a peeler dressed as a cop shows up at your bachelorette party (hint, hint, ask for ID!). Oh and why carrier pigeons are not reliable messengers....according to The Hardy Boys.

The guys talk about Israel's decision to take out Iranian nuclear facilities, why the Carney government decided to appoint a Public Safety minister who is unwilling to look at certain files, and why is Al speaking in a faux German accent?

This week the lads are joined by a fan (yes we DO have them), Eric von Stackelburg, and we chat about all things hybrid warfare, government inaction on national security and public-private interactions. Oh and what Phil likes in a blonde (blueberry!). You are going to love this interaction!

This week the guys bask in new-found attention by selfie-seeking fans and, on a more serious level, talk about a humungous increase in terrorism arrests and Israel warning Jews not to travel to Canada. Oh and Al ends up being the optimist in the trio - go figure!

This week the guys talk cast off the covers on cover names, challenge CT success claims, and honour the best-known guy to hang out in a bar talking about life with his buddies

Back in the saddle after a short last week, the guys delve into the undermining of the US intelligence community by the Trump administration, the dangers of accepting airplanes as 'gifts' and why Latvia is helping its citizens identify Russian spies. And lots of golden references....

Unfortunately, Phil decided to swim in 10 degree Celsius water this week and as a consequence the episode is much shorter than usual. The guys weigh in on the vehicular attack in Vancouver

In the guys' election episode they talk about where the debate on national security has been during the campaign (hint, hint: nowhere) and why you should not mark your ballot with the eraser end of the pencil. Also why Spies Like Us is 'inSITEful'!

The guys are joined for coffee by former Toronto 18 terrorist cell human source Mubin Shaikh to talk about what he did and why he did it. Al shares some stories about growing up in Winnipeg cutting weed with goat shit and for some reason Neil wants to rub horse manure on his teeth. Oh, and no poetry from Phil this week.

This week the guys look into two recent cases of 'right-wing' extremism in Canada with very different results. They also have a real beer rather than a virtual one! Oh, and Phil has a new nickname. 

The Al-less team digs into the recent shit show surrounding the Trump Administration's decision to use Signal to broadcast upcoming airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthis. And in poetry by Phil, yes, there is a rhyme for SCIF!

The guys are joined by ex-CIA analyst Dave Gioe to talk about why Canada needs a foreign intelligence (HUMINT) agency and how we would go about it (and the guys give a solid two thumbs up to that idea).  And Nancy Drew gives Canada good advice on how to handle Donald Trump.

The guys have yet another Q&A episode talking about economic security, whether President Trump is a Russian asset or agent, and learn that 'Larry from the US' listens to us!

The guys are joined by former colleague and ex-senior CSIS official Andy Ellis to talk about why the Canadian government has let intelligence slide and what it needs to do to get back to where it needs to be (and once was). And, importantly, the Hardy Boys give good advice on the relationship between education and trust.

The guys devote this episode to the case of Chiheb Esseghaier who with a partner planned to derail a train in Canada back in 2013 and is seeking to stay in Canada. Al plays the bagpipes - kinda - and we all have new nicknames!

The guys talk about what to do with ISIS returnees, the challenges of recruiting human sources with, shall we say, sketchy backgrounds, and show how Nancy Drew steals a page from Monty Python's "trying hard not to be seen".

This week the guys talk about the latest brain fart to come from the US on joint border security, Al comes up with a complicated jurisdiction story which he worked on very hard and yes, it is again time for Poetry by Phil

The guys are joined by investigative journalist Sam Cooper to dissect the recently released Hogue report on foreign interference in Canada. Suffice to say they ain't impressed and suspect, like the Hardy Boys, that there is much left unsaid.

The guys muse about the US decision to list Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organisations, whether politicians are too timid in labeling terrorist acts as terrorism and what Nancy Drew teaches us about confusion.

The guys delve into Russian antagonistic moves in the West, the abuse of Canada's student visa programme, and encourage Marc Garneau to run for Prime Minister

The popular Q&A show is back! The guys talk about the greatest national security threats facing Canada in 2025 and what the heck is a UAP? Thanks to all who sent us their questions and comments.

In the first episode of 2025 the guys talk about the New Orleans terrorist attack and weigh in on their own concerns for national security and public safety in the coming year.

In this last episode of 2024 the guys talk about the pluses and  minuses of calling Luigi Mangione, the killer of a US healthcare executive, a terrorist, and why Santa Claus would make a GREAT intelligence operative

When you don't know nuthin' it is best to ask someone who does know sumpin'. The guys are happy to welcome AI guru Ryan Zorn, an ex-CSIS dude, to demonstrate the challenges of AI and the threats to national security. Oh, and hope springs eternal that AI will create an avatar to make Neil look good....

The guys weigh in on partisan politics when it comes to national security, why it is important to vet contacts and why Xi Jinping uses honeypots (aside from the fact that he does look like Winnie the Pooh with a jar on his head).