When the Canadian military has a secret, it's Marc Charbonneau's job to keep it that way. He teaches technicians how to repair cryptographic equipment that enciphers and deciphers messages. The military uses highly sophisticated and classified cryptographic equipment, and technicians from across the country come to the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics to learn how to maintain and repair it.


"I teach theory, the basics of operation, and how to troubleshoot," Marc explains. "When technicians leave my course, they are ready to fix any kind of problem."

Marc runs up to 16 two-week courses. In addition to soldiers, he trains technicians from the RCMP and from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

"The technology improves so fast that we constantly have to review the contents of the course so that the technician goes back to the unit with the most up-to-date information," he says.

Although members of the military can be transferred frequently, Marc says instructors tend to spend awhile at their jobs. "They try to leave us alone because it takes time to train someone to do what we do," he says.