Canada's Spies Want You to Know They Love Their Jobs

The same Canadian signals intelligence workers responsible for allegedly spying on Canadians at an airport, snooping on the Brazilian Natural Resources department, and collaborating with the NSA, also get their kicks from photography and book clubs.

On the Communications Security Establishment Canada website, the typically clandestine organization offers up a brief glimpse into the work lives of its employees, in a series of public relations links.

Under "Life at CSE" the organisation admits, "It's possible that you have never heard of CSE," because, for obvious reasons, "we can't say too much about what we do."

Besides all the Top Secret work spies at the Ottawa based headquarters do, like any other workplace, they find time for networking events. As the CSEC post on its website says, "We want you to enjoy yourself too. So, while we work hard, we also play hard."

And that doesn't just mean casual scotches at a dingy bar; it includes a host of after work events. Beyond the daytime "stress management classes," Canada's NSA equivalent is keen to treat its employees right.

"This could mean getting involved with our sports activities–including hockey, softball and beach volleyball–or any of a wide variety of interest clubs, such as the Youth Professional Network, Aspiring Leaders Network, Book Club, Photography Club, or the Kryptos Society," reads the website.

The agency also lists yoga, meditation, and (ironically, given their online communications work) "socializing online" by sharing "your thoughts on one of our many internal social media tools and online communities."

But CSEC isn't the only one pumping its employment record and workplace lifestyle–the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers named CSEC a Top Employer in the National Capital Region of Ottawa.

Several employees, who only offer their first names, are also given a platform on the CSEC website in a series of testimonials on the benefits of the CSEC lifestyle.

One anonymous Joseph, an analyst at CSEC, said "I began my career at CSE as a co-op student, and over 13 years later, I am still amazed at how much fun it is to work here!" While Elaine, an intelligence analyst talks about the thrills of the job.

"It involves thinking like a target to try and determine where and how valuable information might be gleaned. It involves identifying seemingly disparate pieces of information and putting them into context," she said.

Despite all the good will, not every employee seems totally happy with the organisation. In March, the Canadian Press reported on an internal investigation within CSEC prompted by a whistleblower, who uncovered "serious breaches" and misuse of public information by the agency.

According to other Access to Information documents obtained by the Albatross, the agency worried about employees after the Edward Snowden revelations in June 2013. The same documents showed the agency imploring employees not to talk about their jobs to family and friends. On top of that, living with the knowledge that you're a constant target for global hostiles can't be easy.

With that in mind, it's not all book clubs and yoga over at Canada's signals intelligence agency. But they're keen to let you know that's a part of it.