Question Period Note: Foreign Interference: Election Interference

General Election Interference
•We know that democratic institutions and processes around the world, including elections, are valuable targets for foreign interference. Canada is not immune to these threats.
•We are aware that threat actors have sought to clandestinely target politicians, political parties, electoral nomination processes and media outlets to influence public opinion and ultimately advance their interests.
•These efforts erode trust in our democratic institutions and stoke tensions about government policies and decisions.
•However, despite foreign interference attempts that have been directed toward Canada, Canada’s democratic institutions and processes remain strong and resilient.
•Our security and intelligence agencies work tirelessly to support an integrated government response by monitoring and reporting on threats, and providing advice to ensure continued protection of our democracy.
•As part of these efforts, CSIS investigates threats, advises government and, as necessary, may take measures to reduce threats to Canada’s security including those orchestrated by foreign states.
•For example, CSIS has provided dozens of defensive briefings to elected officials in 2022, to raise awareness of the foreign interference threats members of elected office may encounter in the course of their job. These briefings have been delivered across party lines and at federal, provincial and municipal levels across Canada.
•The RCMP also plays an important role by investigating criminal offences related to foreign interference, including those targeting Canada’s democratic institutions and processes.
•I want to reassure Canadians that Canada’s elections remain fair and legitimate, including the results of the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Allegations of PRC Interference Activities in Canadian Elections
•We are aware that foreign interference directed toward Canada has been undertaken by certain foreign governments.
•What is clear, based on the assessment of our security and intelligence agencies, is that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the foremost perpetrator. The PRC have sought to interfere with Canada’s election process and influence public opinion, ultimately to advance their interests.
•As we have said, Canada will never accept infringements on the safety and security of our society and has in place a number of measures to protect Canadians from foreign interference, and ensure the integrity of our democratic process.
•I want to also be clear that our Government is committed to transparency in relation to recent attempts by the PRC to interfere with our elections. Responsible Ministers and top national security and intelligence officials, including Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor, and the Director of CSIS, have testified publicly in Parliamentary committees on foreign interference threats facing Canada.

Measures in Place to Defend Canada’s Elections
•Building on best practices from 2019, the Government of Canada initiated a number of additional measures to protect the integrity of our democratic institutions and processes leading up to the 2021 Federal Election.
•This included implementing the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol – a mechanism to alert the public in the event of a threat to the integrity of a General Election; and by renewing the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, to consolidate and disseminate international best practices related to foreign threats to democracy amongst G7 countries.
•In both 2019 and 2021, the Panel for the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol determined that the Government of Canada did not detect foreign interference that threatened Canada’s ability to have a free and fair election.

Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force
•In the lead up to the 2019 Federal Election, the Security Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force was created to protect Canada’s federal election.
•The SITE Task Force coordinates intelligence and information between the Communications Security Establishment, Global Affairs Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and CSIS.
•Over the course of the 2019 and 2021 Federal Election, CSIS and the RCMP worked closely with members of the SITE Task Force to coordinate efforts against foreign interference by raising awareness, assessing threats, and preparing the government’s response to them.
•The SITE Task Force also remains active outside of election periods, as threats to democratic institutions, such as foreign interference and disinformation, have not abated.
•The SITE taskforce, met at least monthly between the 2019 and 2021 elections, with meetings moving to bi-weekly in the months ahead of the writ and daily during the writ period itself. As stated at PROC, the Panel of Five received weekly briefings from SITE on relevant intelligence relating to threats to the election.

Foreign Agent Registry
•The Government of Canada continues to look for new and innovative ways to enhance the measures we have in place to counter foreign interference, as well as learn from the experiences of international partners to see what may be advisable or possible in Canada.
•With regards to a potential “foreign agent registry”, on December 2, 2022, I announced that the Government would seek to consult the public and stakeholders on whether Canada should pursue such a registry to increase transparency of foreign malign influence.
•We look forward to engaging with Canadians on this important topic in the near term.

The Government of Canada’s security and intelligence community is combatting threats to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes within their respective mandates. CSIS is working closely with other government partners, inside and outside the security and intelligence community, to address clandestine, deceptive or threatening interference activities that can pose significant harm to our democratic institutions and processes. For example, CSIS has longstanding investigations into foreign interference threat activities targeting democratic processes and institutions across Canada. The provision of CSIS intelligence and assessments to senior levels of government allows for informed decision-making when responding to and developing policies to address these threats. Likewise, the RCMP has a broad, multifaceted mandate to ensure public safety by investigating, disrupting and preventing foreign interference drawing upon authorities enshrined in various legislation.

Although Canada’s electoral system is strong, threat actors have sought to target its politicians, political parties, elections, and media outlets in order to manipulate Canadian public opinion and interfere with Canada’s democracy. CSIS delivers briefings to protect against this threat, with the aim of promoting awareness of hostile activities by state actors and strengthening security practices.

Canada has also observed state-sponsored information manipulation, aimed at reshaping or undermining the rules-based-international order. Disinformation, originating from anywhere in the world, can have serious consequences including threats to the safety and security of Canadians, erosion of trust in our democratic institutions, and confusion about government policies and notices.

Information manipulation, in particular disinformation, has been a subject of international collaboration. Canada has discussed the threat and possible responses across a variety of bilateral and multilateral engagements and fora. For example, you represent Canada at the Five-Country Ministerial (FCM), an annual forum where Five Eyes security ministers meet to discuss opportunities for collaboration and information sharing on various national security issues, including Hostile Activities by State Actors (HASA). These discussions include the sharing of respective approaches to shared issues, and the coordination of a cohesive Five Eyes response.

Election Interference

In an effort to counter foreign interference against the 2019 Federal Election, the Government created the SITE Task Force. As members of the SITE Task Force, CSIS was involved in efforts to raise awareness and assess foreign interference threats against the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, and the RCMP provided law enforcement expertise. The SITE Task Force remains outside of election periods, as threats to democratic institutions, such as foreign interference and disinformation, have not abated.

Foreign Agent Registry

Foreign governments have established, legal, and legitimate channels of engagement with the Government of Canada. When done openly, this is a central part of rules-based international relations. However, when individuals or entities seek to exert influence on behalf of foreign governments in non-transparent ways, this can have serious consequences. These non-transparent influence activities undertaken on behalf of a foreign government are known as malign foreign influence.

To undertake malign foreign influence activities, some foreign governments, or their proxies, may leverage individuals or entities to undertake foreign influence activities intended to shape Canadian government policy, outcomes, or public opinion, without disclosing their foreign government ties. These activities could result in policy and legislation favourable to foreign interests over Canadian ones. They could also impact the content of available material that informs public opinions and the exercise of democratic rights. In some instances, this information could be disseminated by Canadians who may not be fully aware it originates from a foreign principal or entity. Unclear labelling of state-backed communications can produce public or media messaging that reinforces interests of foreign states and circulates propaganda/disinformation that could either misdirect citizens or pollute the general media/information environment.

While Canada has some tools available aimed at increasing transparency, there have been calls for the Government of Canada to consider new measures to bolster defenses to the growing threat. At previous committee hearings, members of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations have made inquiries about the possibility of Canada adopting a foreign agent registry.

On December 2, 2022, you announced that the Government of Canada is looking closely at the creation of a foreign agent registry, and would see to engage the public and stakeholders on the merits of such a proposal.

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