The watchdog said its findings show CSIS cannot be trusted to follow the law or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when it is granted secret powers.

Some members of Parliament say they have no idea how to spot foreign interference, as Canada's spy agency warns that all elected officials are targets for hostile states.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says the initiative -- made possible by sweeping security legislation passed last year -- will enable the agency to crunch large volumes of information and detect previously unseen patterns.