Événements ouverts

Chair/Président : Christian Leuprecht (Queen's University / Royal Military College)
Discussant/Commentateur : Benjamin Fung (McGill University)
Senior federal civil servants from Public Safety Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Global Affairs Canada, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security discuss foreign interferences activities, their implications for Canadian interests, national security and democratic processes and institutions, tools to support transparency, and bolstering society’s collective resilience. Foreign governments have legal, established, and legitimate channels of engagement with the Government of Canada. However, some foreign governments cross the line from standard diplomacy and lobbying into foreign interference when they seek to exert influence in non-transparent ways. Foreign interference poses one of the greatest strategic threats to Canada’s national security. Examples include:

• Threats, harassment or intimidation by foreign states, or those acting on its behalf, against anyone in Canada, Canadian communities, or their loved ones abroad; and,

• Targeting officials at all levels of government to influence public policy and decision-making in a way that is clandestine, deceptive or threatening. These activities can have serious implications for Canadian interests, national security and democratic processes and institutions. While Canada has a number of existing tools to support transparency, new measures could be considered, such as a foreign influence transparency registry, which would better align Canada’s approach with those of like-minded partners and allies, bolstering overall collective resilience.