Parliamentary Committee Notes: Threats to the Ukraine Diaspora in Canada
Date:
April 25, 2022
Branch/Agency:
NCSB/PS
Proposed Response:
- The threat of espionage and foreign interference is not new to Canada or Canadians, however, the security and intelligence community has observed an increase in both the volume and complexity of these threats in recent years. These hostile activities by foreign state actors, like Russia, pose a serious risk to Canada’s national security.
- On February 24, Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and attacked the Ukrainian people.
- Canada continues to condemn Russia’s illegal action and Canadians stand with the people of Ukraine as they fight for their lives, for their sovereignty, and for global democracy.
- There are over 1.4 million Ukrainians living in Canada, making them Canada’s 11th largest diaspora community. They have been an integral part of Canada’s multicultural fabric dating back to the late 1800s.
- Dealing with foreign interference is not new for the Ukrainian Canadian community. Unfortunately, these types of threats are all too real. We’ve seen concerning instances of harassment and intimidation against them, or their relatives abroad, for which there is no place in our society.
- When individuals in Canada are subjected to intimidation or manipulation by foreign states or their proxies, these activities constitute a threat to Canada’s sovereignty and to the safety of individuals in Canada, and will never be tolerated.
- That said, the Ukrainian Canadian community is resilient, and have taken steps to ‘inoculate’ themselves against these forms of foreign interference by remaining vigilant and informed.
- We continue to be on the lookout for potential Russian threat activity within Canada. This may include espionage, cyber attacks, and foreign interference – notably against the Ukrainian-Canadian community and against Canadian elected officials of Ukrainian descent.
- Under its Federal Policing mandate, the RCMP targets and investigates illegal foreign interference, including activities related to state-backed harassment and intimidation of diaspora communities in Canada, with a view to laying criminal charges.
- The RCMP also works with its security and intelligence partners to conduct engagement and outreach with targeted communities to build up resilience against, and raise awareness of, foreign interference.
- If a member of the public is in immediate danger from a person suspected of acting on behalf of a foreign state, I urge them to please contact their local police. If a member of the public suspects criminal foreign interference activities that do not pose an immediate threat to life, they should report it to the RCMP through the multiple channels available, including the National Security Information Network web portal.
- As I have said before, there is no greater responsibility for the Government of Canada than to keep its citizens and communities safe.
- While we cannot always make our actions known to the public, Canadians can be assured that their safety and security will always be at the heart of our approach, and that the Government uses the full suite of tools at its disposal to counter foreign interference and keep them safe and secure.
Background :
Canada monitors the international information ecosystem for indicators of hostile state sponsored activities, including foreign interference and disinformation. Canada is aware of Russia’s long-running disinformation campaigns and it’s use of disinformation to create the pretext for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Russia continues to manipulate information to blur the facts and try to build support for its illegal invasion.
Canada is working with a range of partners across industry, civil society, and academia, to support ongoing efforts to identify and counter Russian disinformation around the crisis and build societal resilience to disinformation in Ukraine and globally.
Canada is a reliable and long-standing partner of Ukraine. In 1991, Canada became the first Western country to recognize Ukraine’s independence and the relationship between the two countries has been strengthened by deep people-to-people ties, rooted in the Ukrainian-Canadian community, and by our shared belief in democracy and the importance of the rules-based international order. The Ukrainian diaspora community in Canada has been taking steps to increase resiliency; protect themselves from the impact of Russia’s interference; and support those under attack in Ukraine. Since Russia’s invasion, the Ukrainian community has mobilized through nationwide protests, food and supply drives, drafting letters to MPs and MPPs demanding further Russian sanctions, and raised millions through grass roots and government-led initiatives. On Sunday, February 27, an estimated 30,000 people protested the Russian invasion in Toronto, with similar shows of support across the country. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress, who represent the Ukrainian Canadian community before the people and government of Canada, have run virtual webinars on how to spot Russian disinformation in the past, and have been reminding followers on Facebook that this is an “information war” too and that people should be critical of information before sharing it.
The G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (G7 RRM), established in 2018 and led by Canada on an ongoing basis, is an important international forum for addressing foreign threats to democracy, including state-sponsored disinformation. We are also collaborating with international partners through a host of other forums, including NATO, the Media Freedom Coalition, and the Freedom Online Coalition. Through the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPs), Canada supported over $4.2M in programming between 2019 - 2021 to build Ukrainian capacity to strategically communicate and enhance the resilience of Ukrainian communities to disinformation.
The RCMP is mandated by legislation (Section 2 of the Security Offences Act (SOA) and Ministerial Direction) and RCMP Policy (Operational Manual Section 12) to investigate threats to the security of Canada defined in Section 2 of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act; breaches of security defined in the SOA; and any other criminal offence, federal statute, or Criminal Code offence that may have a national security dimension. The RCMP also works with its security and intelligence partners to conduct engagement and outreach with targeted sectors and communities to build up resilience against, and raise awareness of, foreign interference.
National Security criminal investigations of suspected foreign interference are conducted by Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams (INSETs) and National Security Enforcement Sections (NSESs), strategically located in Divisions across Canada. The RCMP’s Federal Policing (FP) Program provides oversight, guidance, and support to foreign interference-related criminal investigations. The RCMP also engages with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to help inform Police of Jurisdiction (POJs) of the foreign interference threat and to establish mechanisms for reporting foreign interference. Officials from FP participate in several interdepartmental efforts to combat FAI and the RCMP works with international partners – including the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group – to detect, investigate, prevent, and raise awareness of foreign interference in Canada.
Contacts:
Prepared by: NSOD / NCSD
Approved by: Dominic Rochon, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, National and Cyber Security Branch, 613-990-4976
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