Parliamentary Committee Notes: Foreign Interference: Threats to Communities

PROC – Foreign Interference
Date: April 17, 2023
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch / Agency: NCSB / PS

Proposed Response:

• We are aware that certain foreign states attempt to threaten and intimidate individuals in Canada, their families, communities or their relatives abroad.
• While some states may ostensibly do so in pursuit of anti-corruption efforts, these tactics can also be used to silence dissent, pressure political opponents and instil fear of foreign state reach on Canadian soil.
• When individuals in Canada are subjected to intimidation, harassment, surveillance, or manipulation by foreign states or their proxies, these activities pose a threat to our sovereignty and public safety, and will never be tolerated.
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is responsible for ensuring public safety by investigating incidents of foreign interference across Canada, including illegal activities relating to state-backed threats targeting communities and members of the public.
• Anyone who feels threatened online or in person, should report these incidents to their local police. If someone in the public is in immediate danger, they should call 9-1-1 or contact their local police. Individuals may also contact the RCMP National Security Information Network by phone at 1-800-420-5805 or by email at RCMP.NSIN-RISN.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
• The Government of Canada has launched public consultations to guide the creation of a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry in Canada to ensure transparency and accountability from people who advocate on behalf of a foreign government and ensure communities who are often targeted by attempts at foreign interference are protected.
• The Government of Canada is also establishing a new National Counter Foreign Interference Office in Public Safety Canada to coordinate efforts to combat foreign interference.

On Campus Foreign Influence

• Canada's academic institutions rely on open, creative, and collaborative environments to guide innovation and develop understanding of critical issues.
• Some foreign intelligence services and government officials, including the People's Republic of China, can exploit this culture of openness to monitor and coerce students, faculty and other university officials.
• In some instances, students may be pressured to participate in activities that are covertly organized by a foreign power. Universities can also be used as venues for "talent-spotting" and intelligence collection, in specific circumstances.
• I can assure Canadians that our security and intelligence agencies work hard to protect Canadian communities, including research and academic institutions, empowering them with the knowledge to understand the threat and the necessary tools to protect themselves.
• Anyone who feels threatened online or in person, should report these incidents to their local police. If someone in the public is in immediate danger, they should call 9-1-1 or contact their local police. Individuals may also contact the RCMP National Security Information Network by phone at 1-800-420-5805 or by email at RCMP.NSIN-RISN.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

If pressed on the People's Republic of China (PRC)

• The threat posed by the PRC, and its powerful security and intelligence apparatus, including malign activities targeting our democratic institutions, communities and economic prosperity, remains a concern for our security and intelligence agencies.
• One notable example of PRC activity is Operation Fox Hunt, a PRC global operation which claims to target corruption but is also believed to have been used to target and quiet dissidents to the regime.
  
• While the PRC is an important partner for Canada in many respects, this type of activity cannot and will not be tolerated. Those targeted may be unaware that they can report these activities to Canadian authorities.
• Anyone who feels threatened online or in person, should report these incidents to their local police. If someone in the public is in immediate danger, they should call 9-1-1 or contact their local police. Individuals may also contact the RCMP National Security Information Network by phone at 1-800-420-5805 or by email at RCMP.NSIN-RISN.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

If pressed on United Front Work Department

• There has been significant media reporting over the past few years about the United Front Work Department. This reporting suggests that United Front Work Department activities include co-opting elites and those in positions of influence, and facilitating espionage.
• While I am unable to discuss this in greater detail, Canada's security and intelligence community is aware of this reporting.

Background

Foreign interference (FI) includes activities undertaken by state or non-state actors that are harmful to Canada's interests and are clandestine or deceptive, or involve a threat to any person. Techniques used to conduct FI can include espionage, sabotage, illicit and corrupt financing, and other threat activities. Foreign states leverage these activities to advance their strategic interests, including: domestic stability, seeking geopolitical influence, economic advancement, revision of the rules-based international order, and military advantage. These activities can be directed at Canadians, or residents of Canada, or against Canadian institutions to advance their strategic interests at the expense of our national interests and values.

Through its mandate to investigate threats to the security of Canada, CSIS has seen multiple instances of foreign states targeting Canadian institutions and communities. The scope of potential foreign influence can be broad, encompassing a range of techniques that are familiar to intelligence agencies. These include: human intelligence operations, the use of state-sponsored or foreign influenced media, and the use of sophisticated cyber tools.

When foreign states target members of Canadian communities, these individuals, for various reasons, may not have the means to protect themselves or know that they can report these activities to Canadian authorities. The fear of state-backed or state-linked retribution targeting both them and their loved ones, in Canada and abroad, can force individuals to submit to foreign influence. These activities constitute a threat to Canada's sovereignty and to the safety of Canadians.

When CSIS is informed of any allegations of foreign interference, it uses the full mandate of the CSIS Act to investigate, advise and respond to the threat, alongside law enforcement, to keep Canadians safe from harm and intimidation.

As Canada's Federal law enforcement agency, the RCMP is uniquely positioned to counter foreign interference. The RCMP's primary focus is the safety and protection of the public at all times, and it responds to, investigates, and lays charges against illegal activities relating to foreign interference. The RCMP can investigate criminal offences related to foreign interference under the Security of Information Act; there are also Criminal Code offences that can be leveraged, such as criminal harassment and intimidation. The RCMP also educates on foreign interference threats through engagement efforts with the public sector, private entities, and impacted communities. Anyone who feels threatened online or in person, should report these incidents to their local police. If someone in the public is in immediate danger, they should call 9-1-1 or contact their local police. Individuals may also contact the RCMP National Security Information Network by phone at 1-800-420-5805 or by email at RCMP.NSIN-RISN.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

On Campus FI

On university campuses, foreign states may seek to exert undue influence, covertly and through proxies, by harassing dissidents and suppressing academic freedoms and free speech that are not aligned with their political interests. In trying to influence public debate at academic institutions, foreign states may sponsor specific events to shape discussion rather than engage in free debate and dialogue. They may also directly or indirectly attempt to disrupt public events or other on-campus activities they perceive as challenging their political positions and spread disinformation, undermining confidence in academic discourse and expertise.

Operation Fox Hunt

The PRC uses Operation Fox Hunt as a means to identify and try to repatriate Chinese individuals who they allege are corrupt. The PRC has conducted this operation in Canada since 2014. Initially, Canada worked with Chinese officials to support their investigations, however, increasingly stringent criteria on the PRC investigators involved in this program have been added, beginning in 2015.

Contacts:

Prepared by: NCSB/NSOD
Approved by: Sebastien Aubertin-Giguere, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, 613-990-4976

Date modified:

2023-09-26