The Service (documentary series)

"The Service" is a documentary series about Canadian intelligence operations, created by Ottawa-based filmmaker Matthew Adrian MacDonald, who began developing it in Summer 2025. The Title is derived from how the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is referred to in Canada's intelligence community.

In August 2025, a website for the project was launched, followed by the launch of a YouTube channel and The Release of several short videos featuring interviews with former CSIS officers and other people in Canada's intelligence community. Some of the videos include interviews with Ward Elcock, the longest-serving Director of CSIS, and several former intelligence officers. Canadian counterterrorism expert and former CSIS spy Mubin Shaikh is also featured in the videos, which are designed to generate public interest in the series.

In January 2026, MacDonald announced that he had entered into an agreement with Buck Productions, a Toronto-based production company owned by Sean Buckley (producer), to pitch the series to broadcasters and streaming services.

In an article in the Ottawa Citizen, MacDonald argues that Canada needs to stop neglecting its intelligence agencies. This series appears to be a response to that.

Canada's intelligence agencies, especially CSIS, have a reputation for being publicity-shy,, and a 2025 survey survey conducted for CSIS found that almost 20 % of Canadians claim to have never heard of CSIS.

MacDonald appeared in a French-language interview for the TFO program ONFR in December 2025 discussing the film and TV industry in Ottawa and his work on developing the series.