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CRA Hides Serious Security Breach :CRA SOTW

CRA keeps silent on leak: commissioner - Thu Feb. 26 2009 18:54:26

The Canada Revenue Agency never told Canada's privacy watchdog after
it learned that someone inside the agency could be sending information
to a B.C. gang, CTV News has learned. Federal government agencies are
supposed to report to the Federal Privacy Commissioner as soon as they
learn of a potential leak -- but the commissioner's office told CTV
News they were never informed.

The CRA, which is responsible for collecting Canadian taxes, is also
refusing to confirm that the leak even happened - or how it was dealt
with.

"It's obviously scary," said Liberal M.P. Ujjal Dosanjh. "It would
comfort people that we knew an investigation is under way -- that's
very important."

CTV News learned that in 2007, the CRA discovered an employee was
accessing information on behalf of a rival to the United Nations Gang.
Independently, the Abbotsford Police learned of the leak from a
wiretap and informed the Canada Revenue Agency. But the agency is
remaining silent on what happened next.

The Minister of National Revenue told CTV that privacy laws were
stopping him from explaining what happened.

"It's the law," said Jean-Pierre Blackburn. "I don't have the
authority to tell you."

It's not the first time that organized crime has infiltrated
government agencies -- in 2000, journalist Michel Auger was shot six
times in the back in the parking lot of The Journal, where he worked.
Police learned that the Hells Angels had learned his licence plate
from informants inside the Quebec department of motor vehicles. Those
charged in the case were led out in handcuffs. It's important to keep
government information secure, said Mary Carlson, the director of
B.C.'s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

"I think there are a lot of nasty, nasty outcomes that can happen if
people are inappropriately accessing your information," she said.

- With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward

AND


CRA waited months to battle breach - Updated: Mon Mar. 02 2009
18:25:35

The Canada Revenue Agency waited a year and a half after it was warned
of a security breach leaking information to gang members before it
suspended an employee, CTV News has learned. The CRA, which is
responsible for collecting Canadian taxes, was first told by
Abbotsford police of the risk in November 2007 -- but it didn't
suspend the employee until April 2008.

"If they are aware of this then he should have been suspended -- I
don't know what the problem could be," said Yasmin Ratansi, the
Liberal critic for National Revenue.

The Minister of National Revenue, Jean-Pierre Blackburn, wouldn't talk
about the specific case.

CTV News has learned that it was in November 2006 that the Abbotsford
police learned via a wiretap that there could be a leak at the CRA.
The indication was that the leak was to rivals to the United Nations
Gang, a violent upstart B.C. gang. The Canada Revenue Agency
responded, saying that it didn't have enough information to start an
investigation. Then, in June 2007, the Organized Crime Agency gave the
CRA another warning, according to court testimony.

After that, the CRA investigated and found the employee had indeed
abused his security access, CTV has learned. But it wasn't until April
2008 -- a full 18 months after the first warning -- that the CRA
finally suspended its employee. Critics wonder why the employee
continued to have access to sensitive information for so long.

"I want to know if there were proper checks, and that's why an
investigation is important," said Liberal Public Safety Critic Ujjal
Dosanjh. "The government has to fess up."

- With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward

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