The scale of foreign interference in Canada by authoritarian states has risen sharply and now poses a direct threat to the country’s democratic institutions and sovereignty, according to an official report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
According to declassified intelligence materials, China is identified as the most active state actor engaged in foreign interference in Canada. Beijing employs a broad range of methods, from cyberattacks and the systematic theft of intellectual property in high-tech sectors to covert financing of political candidates, pressure on the Chinese diaspora and interference in electoral processes.
Canadian intelligence identifies India as the second most significant source of foreign interference, followed by Russia, Iran and Pakistan.
Regarding Russian activities, CSIS notes an increasing focus on hybrid information operations, the spread of disinformation and attempts to deepen divisions over strategically important issues, including the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure and the energy sector.
Iranian intelligence services, meanwhile, are primarily focused on intimidating and monitoring opposition activists and human rights defenders in Canada.
According to CSIS assessments, industrial espionage and technology theft by foreign states alone cost the Canadian economy billions of dollars annually.
Canadian intelligence analysts warn that the cumulative impact of activities attributed to China, Russia and Iran is gradually eroding the country’s sovereignty. Against this backdrop, Canada’s Parliament has begun considering measures to expand the powers of the national intelligence service.
