Intelligence watchdog says spy agency also failed to properly communicate threat.

By Catharine Tunney | Published by CBC News

Summary

Discrepancies between Canada’s spy agency, CSIS, and the prime minister’s national security adviser led to lapses in critical intelligence reaching the prime minister’s desk, according to a recent report from Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA).

Initiated in March 2023 following reports of Chinese interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections, the review by NSIRA found a significant discrepancy between CSIS’s assessment of intelligence on foreign interference activities and the view of the prime minister’s national security intelligence adviser (NSIA). The NSIA perceived the reports as standard diplomatic activity rather than significant threats to national security. This difference in perspective led to a breakdown in the flow of intelligence to the political executive, including the prime minister. As a result, crucial intelligence did not reach the highest levels of government, impacting decision-making processes.

The NSIRA report highlighted challenges faced by CSIS in determining how to report foreign interference without appearing to interfere in elections, leading to inconsistent dissemination of intelligence on political foreign interference during the last two elections. NSIRA noted that the threat posed by these activities was not clearly communicated by CSIS.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc stated that the government would review the report’s recommendations. Meanwhile, the foreign interference commission found that while attempts at meddling did not impact government formation, they did tarnish the electoral process. Justice Marie-Josée Hogue’s report emphasized that evidence did not suggest bad faith but indicated instances where information on foreign interference did not reach the intended recipients or was not correctly understood by those who received it.

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