Diaspora communities in Canada vulnerable to foreign interference: expert

Concerns are growing over the role of foreign interference during a federal election campaign.

“There’s absolutely a concern. There have been reports by the National Security Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, as well as a national inquiry by Marie-Josée Hogue that have made it clear that foreign powers are trying to influence the outcome of our elections,” said Akaash Maharaj, a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. 

Not so long ago, a public inquiry into foreign interference gripped much of Canada for nearly two years, looking at how foreign actors like China and Russia tried to interfere in Canadian elections.

While Canadian parliamentarians may be targets of foreign interference, diaspora communities are more vulnerable, noted Maharaj.

“There has been evidence, significant evidence, that states hostile to Canada have been interfering with diaspora communities in our country. They will send agents to our country; they will try to persuade them to support or oppose certain political measures. They will intimidate them if they support a position the foreign states feel is not in their interests.”

“My heart goes out to people in this position, because they’re faced with a terrible choice. Do I stand up for what I believe in, and in doing so, do I put my family at risk?”

Foreign actors can target diaspora communities in Canada, specifically those who are campaigning on specific causes. Maharaj said an example could be how China can intimidate Uyghur-Canadians who are sympathetic to the cause.

“As those Canadians try to raise the plight of those Uyghur people and ask political actors to take public policy steps, to take foreign policy measures, to apply diplomatic pressure on the government of China, the government of China itself has been trying to silence and intimidate those people.”

Maharaj said the Canadian government should do more to address the issue.

“We owe it to ourselves to realize that the people who are most vulnerable to foreign interference and foreign intimidation are the least powerful people of our society.”

In January, Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, the appointed judge who headed the foreign interference inquiry, ultimately found that foreign interference did not impact the results of the last two federal elections. But Maharaj said the risk remains. 

“I don’t think we should be overly alarmed. Especially because Justice Hogue makes it clear that these efforts have been somewhat half-hazard, marginal and ineffective. But that doesn’t mean that those powers could not increase their efforts and potentially have an effect on the future.”

According to Hogue’s report, misinformation and disinformation pose a great threat to Canadian democracy. She wrote that it could distort discourse, change views and society.

“It demonstrates what these powers are after. Typically, they’re not really trying to install one candidate over another, although that does happen. What they’re really trying to do is undermine public confidence in democracy itself.”    

“The real concern we should have as Canadians is not that politicians are being lied about, but instead, we’re being fed the lie that democracy cannot work. We have an obligation as citizens in a democracy to fight these efforts,” Maharaj said.  

Poilievre’s refusal to obtain security clearance could be ‘problematic’

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre defended his decision on Tuesday not to receive security clearance.  Hogue’s report had encouraged federal party leaders to obtain security clearance as soon as possible. He remains the only main federal party leader without security clearance.

“What I will not do is commit to the oath of secrecy that the Liberals want to impose on me. They don’t want me to be able to speak on these matters. So they bring me into a dark room, and they say, ‘We’re going to be able to give you a little bit of breadcrumbs of intel and then we’ll tell you, you can’t talk about any of this stuff anymore,’” Poilievre said on Tuesday.

Security clearance is needed for briefings on national security measures, including foreign interference. 

Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney took aim at Poilievre on Tuesday.

“I find it beyond baffling, downright irresponsible that the leader of the opposition, day after day, month after month, year after year, refuses to receive his security clearance. As a normal course, in peace times, when times are tranquil, that’s unacceptable then. But at this point in our history, when we face the greatest threats that we face in generations, and in most of our lifetimes, he has to answer for that,” Carney said.

Maharaj said Poilievre’s lack of security clearance could be problematic.

“At a minimum, if Mr. Poilievre does not wish to be bound by the secrecy provisions of this process but does want to reassure Canadians that he has nothing to hide, he could have for example, obtained his security clearance but not gone on to receive those reports. By receiving his security clearance, he would demonstrate that it is not the process that he fears, it is being silenced that he fears,” Maharaj said.