Over the past year, the Intelligence Agency and other security agencies have continued to warn of security vulnerabilities in Canada’s biopharmaceutical and life sciences sectors. (Getty Images)
Foreign espionage and interference against Canada in 2020 reached the highest level since the end of the Cold War, according to a report released Monday by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). The report cites the Chinese and Russian governments as the “culprits” behind these Cold War espionage and interference activities.
The volatile and rapidly changing environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a ripe time for foreign threat actors to seek to advance their own interests,” said David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, in the agency’s 2020 report, according to the CBC. “
“In 2020, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service observed the highest level of spying foreign interference activity since the Cold War.” The report said.
Over the past year, the Intelligence Service and other security agencies, have continued to warn against security breaches in Canada’s biopharmaceutical and life sciences sectors. As large numbers of Canadians transition to working from home, these fields are subject to outside interference as research involving vaccines, therapies and other responses to COVID-19 measures becomes more valuable.
In the report, Vigneault said, “Major forms of national security threats to Canada, including violent extremism, foreign interference, espionage and malicious cyber activity, have accelerated and escalated, and in many respects have become more severe.”
The Intelligence Directorate said it contacted 225 Canadian entities and briefed at least 2,000 Canadian stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. They will continue to do so this year.
The Congressional National Security and Intelligence Committee (NSICOP) also released a report Monday describing the breadth of spying activities associated with the virus pandemic.
The committee’s chairman, Liberal MP David McGuinty, said the virus pandemic is driving some foreign governments to step up spying, interference and cyber threats against Canadian targets, including companies engaged in vaccine development.
He said, “We have concluded that in this tumultuous year, with the increase in scientific and technical research, and the increase in vaccine and intellectual property research, there has been an increase in interest from some people wanting to get their hands on that research.”
Chinese Communist and Russian Governments Named
The National Security and Intelligence Council is tasked with overseeing Canada’s security and intelligence agencies. The committee’s report says, “The threat posed by espionage and foreign interference is significant and continues to grow. Several countries conduct such activities in Canada, but intelligence indicates that the governments of China and Russia are the culprits.”
According to the National Post, the report’s reference to the number of cyber attacks against Canada and the number of takedowns was removed from the report. Sean Jorgensen, the commission’s executive director, said, “We can’t actually tell you what the number is, but it’s certainly a lot higher than you might think.”
He said the number of cyber attacks “increased dramatically” in the first six months of 2020, mainly from China and Russia.
The Intelligence Community report also cited the Chinese and Russian governments, as well as other unnamed foreign governments, as continuing to target the Canadian government in an attempt to steal political, military and economic information. They also target nongovernmental organizations (such as universities and private businesses) for the purpose of stealing intelligence.
Another threat, first highlighted by the National Security and Intelligence Council, is that the Chinese and Russian governments are monitoring and collecting military intelligence on Canada in order to develop “weapons specifically designed to counter our defenses and exploit our vulnerabilities.
Chinese Communist Party’s Thousand Man Program in the Spotlight
The Intelligence Directorate said that one of the ways foreign agents collected political, economic and military information in Canada last year was through “non-traditional collection methods,” such as through researchers and private companies.
The report by the National Security and Intelligence Council explains, among other things, how the Communist Party’s Thousand Talents Program was used to gather intelligence.
The Thousand Talents Program was launched in 2008 to encourage overseas Chinese scientists to bring their research to China. The program is currently under investigation in the United States.
The commission’s report said, “The Chinese (Communist) side used the talent program and academic exchanges to gain access to Canadian expertise …… The program resulted in intellectual property that was often transferred to China.”
“In many cases, these agents target science and technology in which the Canadian government has also invested.” The report said.
Some foreign governments, like the Chinese Communist government, are trying to “deceptively” influence the Canadian government in ways that manipulate Canadian associations, the intelligence agency said. They continue to target vulnerable groups in Canada in 2020, as they have done in the past. “These communities often fear state-sponsored or state-related retaliation, not only against them but also potentially against their loved ones in Canada and abroad,” its report said.
The report said, “Canadian sovereignty and the safety of Canadians are threatened when Canadian associations are harassed, manipulated or intimidated by foreign governments. The purpose of these foreign governments is either to seek support or to silence those who criticize their policies.”
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