Question Period Note: FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN RESEARCH

Does the Government of Canada have concerns about potential foreign collaborations or interference with federally funded research at Canada’s universities?

• To build a strong economy and improve the lives of all Canadians, Canada needs a research environment that is open and collaborative.

• At the same time, Canada needs to collaborate with its eyes wide open, and needs to make sure that Canadians continue to benefit from our significant investments in science.

• That is why the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and the Minister of Public Safety have been mandated to protect Canada’s world-leading research ecosystem and IP-intensive businesses.

• As part of this work, the government has asked Canada’s research community to work with officials to develop specific risk guidelines to integrate national security considerations into the evaluation of research partnerships.

SUPPLEMENTARY MESSAGES

If pressed on what the government is doing to safeguard research?

• The Government of Canada supports an open and collaborative research environment, encouraging researchers to partner and collaborate with industry and others in Canada and abroad.

• At the same time, we recognize our significant investments in science and research must maximize benefit to Canada and Canadians.

• Universities, government departments, the federal granting agencies, and national security agencies are regularly in contact as part of ongoing engagement activities, and collaborate to understand, identify, and respond to potential threats to research security.

If pressed on why the government fund projects involving partners, such as Huawei, who may be subject to foreign government influence?

• Granting agency funding is awarded through a competitive and impartial process of independent merit review - managed at arm’s length from the Government -- which is intentionally designed to ensure the highest standards of excellence.

• All granting agency-funded projects must demonstrate benefits to Canada and to Canadians, by supporting knowledge discovery and the application of knowledge in Canada.

On September 14, 2020 the government released a Policy Statement outlining all organizations, in particular those involved in COVID-19 research, should remain vigilant and alert to potential threats. The Policy Statement also announced that the Government of Canada, in collaboration with the university sector, launched the online portal Safeguarding Your Research. The portal will serve as a public resource to raise awareness and provide guidance and best practices on identifying and mitigating potential security risks, with information on risk awareness and best practices, a research due diligence guide, links to relevant domestic and international content, and guidance on how to identify and mitigate research security risks. The Portal parallels recent public guidance issued by Canada’s allies, such as the United Kingdom via its Trusted Research Portal, Australia via the Guidelines issued by the Task Force on Foreign Interference, and the United States via various legislative and policy statements.

On February 9, 2021 CSIS Director David Vigneault cited Canada’s biopharma and health sector; artificial intelligence; quantum computing; ocean technology; and aerospace sectors as facing particularly severe threat activity with emerging technologies in these sectors among the most vulnerable to state-sponsored espionage given that they are largely developed within academia and small start-ups. They’re attractive targets because they may have less security awareness or protections in place, and are also more likely to pursue financial and collaboration opportunities, which are exploited by other countries.

On March 24, 2021 the government released a new policy statement on research security. The statement outlines the next steps that the government will take to balance openness and collaboration with appropriate safeguards for Canadian researchers’ knowledge, data, and intellectual property. The government has asked members of the joint Government of Canada–Universities Working Group to develop specific risk guidelines to integrate national security considerations into the evaluation and funding of research projects and partnerships. These guidelines will better position researchers, research organizations and government funders to undertake consistent, risk-targeted due diligence of potential risks to research security; and, will complement the work already under way by the granting agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation as they review their security policies and procedures, with the goal of better integrating national security considerations into their activities.

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