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In another case, PiT put together a briefing about forest fires in Ontario in preparation for the possibility the Canadian military would be asked to assist the provincial government deal with such blazes. PiT compiled data on Google searches for all of Canada over a year-long period, determining that the term “wildfire” was searched most frequently by residents in the Yukon. PiT found British Columbia residents most frequently searched for information on forest fires in the Amazon. Overall in Canada, the main interest was in fires in Australia, according to PiT analysis.
Some public affairs officers, intelligence specialists and senior planners want to expand the scope of such methods in Canada to allow them to better control and shape government information the public receives, as well as collect information from social media accounts. Others inside national defence headquarters worry that such operations could lead to abuses, including military staff intentionally misleading the Canadian public, taking measures to target opposition MPs or those who criticize government or military policy, or illegally collecting data on the public.
Some military sources warn there is a lack of accountability and oversight on such initiatives. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance, who eventually shut down the information operations campaign revealed by this newspaper, was initially unaware it was even under way. Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan is in the dark on most such initiatives, only taking an interest when the media asks questions, say military insiders.
