Former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), David Vigneault, has stated that some Canadian MPs knowingly engage in actions that can be considered foreign interference. This assertion aligns with the findings of a group of lawmakers on the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), who concluded in June that certain parliamentarians have been “wittingly” collaborating with foreign actors.
Vigneault made these remarks during a private hearing held by the Foreign Interference Commission in August. The comments from both Vigneault and the current CSIS leadership team were included in an unclassified summary report released by the commission on September 27.
Vigneault categorized MPs into three groups based on their activities related to potential foreign interference. The first category consists of MPs who are unaware of any foreign interference threat and are surprised when approached by CSIS or presented with information regarding such activities.
The report highlights various activities undertaken by these MPs, including communication with foreign missions to secure election support from community groups or businesses, accepting funds from foreign diplomatic posts either knowingly or through willful blindness, providing confidential information about fellow parliamentarians to foreign actors for inappropriate pressure tactics, and following directions from foreign officials to improperly influence other elected officials or parliamentary proceedings.
According to NSICOP, China is identified as the most active state interfering in Canada, followed by India. However, CSIS’s counter-foreign interference coordinator Bo Basler emphasized that their focus is primarily on addressing threats posed by foreign actors rather than scrutinizing elected officials.
CSIS interim director Vanessa Lloyd also stressed during the hearings that CSIS’s main concern lies with identifying and monitoring threat actors rather than assessing individual MPs’ level of awareness regarding potential interference.
While some parts of NSICOP’s report were deemed stronger than originally intended by CSIS leadership due to language discrepancies between documents, Basler acknowledged its overall accuracy and described it as a groundbreaking report concerning foreign interference.
Lloyd expressed her belief that the NSICOP report helps emphasize the seriousness of this threat while also acknowledging MPs’ recognition for initiating public discussions about both threat actor activities and possible responses. Michelle Tessier, former deputy director at CSIS operations before retirement, commended the publicly released NSICOP report for containing substantial information but noted a lack of understanding surrounding national security issues within Canada.
The Foreign Interference Commission was established following media reports revealing intelligence leaks regarding China’s attempts to interfere in Canadian elections and society at large. The commission plans to release its final report before year-end.
