Canada’s spy agency watchdog says it’s unclear whether the Communications Security Establishment Canada has been eavesdropping on ordinary Canadians -- contradicting assurances from the minister and sparking a debate among politicians.

But a former spy says Canadians should not be overly alarmed by a new report, though they should be demanding more clarity from the agency.

On Wednesday, CSEC Commissioner Robert Decary, who is preparing to step down from his post as watchdog over the agency, said in his annual report that it appears the electronic communications spy agency may have directed some of its activities at Canadians.

However, Decary noted he wasn't able to make a definitive conclusion, because some of the records were unclear or incomplete.

Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former CSIS agent and current security expert, says Decary’s report is worrisome, but he added he’s not convinced there is a large operation underway to spy on Canadians.

“To a certain extent, Canadians need to be concerned,” he told CTV’s Canada AM from Ottawa Friday, noting that it’s interesting the watchdog himself had difficulty getting detailed information about CSEC’s activities.

But he added he’s not sure that CSEC is engaged in widespread surveillance of Canadians.

“We’re not talking about a major conspiracy. We’re not talking necessarily about a major program that specifically targets Canadians and has been abusing (its rights) excessively,” Juneau-Katsuya said.

“But we still need to have a situation where we understand a little more what these agencies are capable of doing and the limits of those activities.”

The Communications Security Establishment Canada is tasked with monitoring electronic communications from abroad, as well as protecting Canadian government electronic information. It’s prohibited from eavesdropping on Canadians.

Decary’s report comes as the U.S. debates its equivalent agency, the National Security Agency, amid startling revelations from an NSA contractor about the breadth of the NSA’s surveillance practices.

For its part, CSEC says it has not been breaking the rules.

"The commissioner's statement about a lack of records is a reference to a single review of a small number of records gathered in the early 2000s, in relation to activities directed at a remote foreign location," the agency said in response to Decary’s report.

"This conclusion does not indicate that CSEC has acted unlawfully. It indicates that certain material upon which the commissioner would have relied for his assessment was incomplete or not available for a number of reasons."

Still, opposition members say Canadians deserve more answers. NDP defence critic Jack Harris said Thursday the report contradicts statements made in June by then-defence minister Peter MacKay, who insisted the government was not spying on ordinary Canadians.

"Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson needs to release all information related to this spying immediately," Harris said Thursday.

Juneau-Katsuya says CSEC has an important role to play in maintaining global security and works with partners such as the U.S., Britain, and Australia to share the information they gather.

“They listen around the world, not only in Canada. Their main goal is to protect Canada and they are linked to National Defence,” Juneau-Katsuya explained.

But with revelations about Americans and British citizens governments the intercepting Internet communications among ordinary citizens there, he said Canadians need to decide how far CSEC powers should extend.

“It brings up the debate: how far do you want your government to go?” Juneau-Katsuya said. “How far do you want the government to protect you, and what do you want them to do in order to protect you?”