Internal government briefing notes warn Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that economic-based national security threats — from espionage to cyberattacks — pose “significant risks” to Canada’s post-pandemic recovery, long-term prosperity and competitiveness.
The notes, obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act, say Canada’s ability to rebound from COVID-19, and its future economic growth, lie in the development of updated legislative and regulatory regimes, new tools, technologies and business models.
The blunt assessment is included in material prepared for Trudeau immediately after the Liberal re-election victory last September and now released under the access law.
The Trudeau government served notice early last year that it was pressing ahead with efforts to counter economic-based threats to national security, such as theft of valuable intellectual property and damage to critical energy and information networks.
The internal notes point out that foreign investment and global trade are critical drivers of the Canadian economy and those of allies.
Given Canada’s population, geography, highly skilled workforce, world-leading scientific and academic institutions, and advanced economy, access to international markets and capital are critical for economic growth and recovery, the notes add.
“Ensuring Canada has a modern and comprehensive framework to counter efforts by hostile actors to exploit Canada’s economy is essential to ensuring Canada’s long-term economic prosperity and national security, including rebuilding after COVID-19.”
Hostile tactics range from foreign direct investment in sensitive sectors, including critical infrastructure and emerging technology, to the theft of advanced research, the briefing notes say.
Pilfering can occur through the hacking corporate networks or the transfer of sensitive technology with military and intelligence applications.
National security concerns extend to the purchase of goods and services by all levels of government, the notes warn. For example, procurement activities can provide adversaries with access to sensitive sites or data, and products or services procured for critical infrastructure can open the door to espionage and disruption.
Canadian academic and research institutions are targeted by hostile states who leverage their nationals, including students and visiting faculty, as well as foreign talent recruitment programs and research partnerships to gain access to sensitive knowledge and research, the briefing notes add.
National security agencies have made efforts in recent years to raise awareness among potential target organizations and to provide advice on easing these threats.
The government has also issued national security guidelines for research partnerships, and the Investment Canada Act national security review guidelines were updated with the aim of increasing transparency about the kind of investments that might prompt a security review.
Public Safety Canada is examining “gaps in legislation, regulation and governance,” the notes say.
The federal department is also completing a review of Canada’s cybersecurity strategy.
The committee of MPs and senators that oversees federal security policy recently highlighted blind spots in Canada’s cyberdefences that could leave many agencies vulnerable to state-sponsored hackers from China and Russia.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians said while nation states are the most highly developed threats, any player with malicious intent and sophisticated capabilities puts the government’s data and the integrity of its electronic infrastructure at risk.
The notes prepared for the prime minister warn that the cyberthreat landscape is rapidly evolving, often outpacing governments’ ability to adjust regulatory and policy frameworks.
As a result, governments are “increasingly being challenged” to both secure their networks and information holdings, manage the most pressing threats and help victims of cyberincidents.
Cybersecurity “can no longer be seen as the sole responsibility of governments,” the notes caution.
Canada, in consultation with its like-minded partners, will need to continue to emphasize the need for international norms and the prevention of safe havens where cybercriminals “can operate without consequence.”
“Crime facilitated by the internet is the most significant risk to economic recovery, as it can impact everyone from individual Canadians to small and large enterprises, through to municipalities and critical infrastructure systems.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2022.
OTTAWA – The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won’t help Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories’ non-confidence motion.
The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern after a raucous start to the fall sitting of Parliament.
Poilievre issued a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this week when he announced he will put forward a motion that simply states that the House has no confidence in the government or the prime minister.
If it were to pass, it would likely mean Canadians would be heading to the polls, but Singh said Thursday he’s not going to let Poilievre tell him what to do.
Voting against the Conservative motion doesn’t mean the NDP support the Liberals, said Singh, who pulled out of his political pact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a few weeks ago.
“I stand by my words, Trudeau has let you down,” Singh said in the foyer outside of the House of Commons Thursday.
“Trudeau has let you down and does not deserve another chance.”
Canadians will have to make that choice at the ballot box, Singh said, but he will make a decision about whether to help trigger that election on a vote-by-vote basis in the House.
The Conservatives mocked the NDP during Question Period for saying they had “ripped up” the deal to support the Liberals, despite plans to vote to keep them in power.
Poilievre accused Singh of pretending to pull out of the deal to sway voters in a federal byelection in Winnipeg, where the NDP was defending its long-held seat against the Conservatives.
“Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them again. He’s a fake, a phoney and fraud. How can anyone ever believe what the sellout NDP leader says in the future?” Poilievre said during Question Period Thursday afternoon.
At some point after those comments, Singh stepped out from behind his desk in the House and a two-minute shouting match ensued between the two leaders and their MPs before the Speaker intervened.
Outside the House, Poilievre said he plans to put forward another non-confidence motion at the next opportunity.
“We want a carbon-tax election as soon as possible, so that we can axe Trudeau’s tax before he quadruples it to 61 cents a litre,” he said.
Liberal House leader Karina Gould says there is much work the government still needs to do, and that Singh has realized the consequences of potentially bringing down the government. She refused to take questions about whether her government will negotiate with opposition parties to ensure their support in future confidence motions.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn’t ruled out voting no-confidence in the government the next time a motion is tabled.
“I never support Liberals. Help me God, I go against the Conservatives on a vote that is only about Pierre Poilievre and his huge ambition for himself,” Blanchet said Thursday.
“I support the interests of Quebecers, if those interests are also good for Canadians.”
A Bloc bill to increase pension cheques for seniors aged 65 to 74 is now at “the very centre of the survival of this government,” he said.
The Bloc needs a recommendation from a government minister to OK the cost and get the bill through the House.
The Bloc also wants to see more protections for supply management in the food sector in Canada and Quebec.
If the Liberals can’t deliver on those two things, they will fall, Blanchet said.
“This is what we call power,” he said.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand wouldn’t say whether the government would be willing to swallow the financial implications of the Bloc’s demands.
“We are focused at Treasury Board on ensuring prudent fiscal management,” she said Thursday.
“And at this time, our immediate focus is implementing the measures in budget 2024 that were announced earlier this year.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – Treasury Board President Anita Anand has been sworn in as federal transport minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, taking over a portfolio left vacant after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus on Thursday.
Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions to the government and the country, saying she’s grateful for his guidance and friendship.
She sidestepped a question about the message it sends to have him leave the federal Liberal fold.
“That is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not present for the swearing-in ceremony, nor were any other members of the Liberal government.
The shakeup in cabinet comes just days after the Liberals lost a key seat in a Montreal byelection to the Bloc Québécois and amid renewed calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down and make way for a new leader.
Anand said she is not actively seeking leadership of the party, saying she is focused on her roles as minister and as MP.
“My view is that we are a team, and we are a team that has to keep delivering for our country,” she said.
The minority Liberal government is in a more challenging position in the House of Commons after the NDP ended a supply-and-confidence deal that provided parliamentary stability for more than two years.
Non-confidence votes are guaranteed to come from the Opposition Conservatives, who are eager to bring the government down.
On Thursday morning, Rodriguez made a symbolic walk over the Alexandra Bridge from Parliament Hill to Gatineau, Que., where he formally announced his plans to run for the Quebec Liberal party leadership.
He said he will now sit as an Independent member of Parliament, which will allow him to focus on his own priorities.
“I was defending the priorities of the government, and I did it in a very loyal way,” he said.
“It’s normal and it’s what I had to do. But now it’s more about my vision, the vision of the team that I’m building.”
Rodriguez said he will stay on as an MP until the Quebec Liberal leadership campaign officially launches in January.
He said that will “avoid a costly byelection a few weeks, or months, before a general election.”
The next federal election must be held by October 2025.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he will try to topple the government sooner than that, beginning with a non-confidence motion that is set to be debated Sept. 24 and voted on Sept. 25.
Poilievre has called on the NDP and the Bloc Québécois to support him, but both Jagmeet Singh and Yves-François Blanchet have said they will not support the Conservatives.
Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right away and will vote against the non-confidence motion.
As for how he would vote on other matters before the House of Commons, “it would depend on the votes.”
Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will become the government’s new Quebec lieutenant, a non-cabinet role Rodriguez held since 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees and Dylan Robertson
