May 30 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Former Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found an “active campaign of voter suppression” by China against him and his party in the 2021 election. O’Toole made the comments Tuesday from the floor of the House of Commons, within which MPs are protected by parliamentary privilege from civil or criminal […]
May 26 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — David Johnston says his decision to recommend against a public inquiry into foreign interference was based on “unprecedented” access to raw intelligence, Canadian national security officials and their political masters. But virtually everyone asked to accept Johnston’s findings will not – and cannot – ever know exactly what evidence Johnston based that recommendation on. This […]
May 23 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Former Liberal MP Han Dong spoke about the detention of the “two Michaels” with an official from the Chinese government but did not suggest their imprisonment should be extended according to a highly-anticipated report on foreign interference in Canada. Former governor general David Johnston, who recommended against a public inquiry into foreign interference Tuesday, confirmed […]
May 12 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Chinese government is targeting Canadian elected officials but has not yet threatened “physical harm” against MPs or their families, Canada’s domestic spy agency says. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) told Global News that the agency is aware that the Chinese Communist Party is targeting “elected officials from all parties, and all levels of […]
May 8 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Liberal Party’s lawyers are trying to delay a judicial fight over whether federal political parties must follow basic privacy rules with Canadian voters’ data, Global News has learned. The Liberal Party’s lawyers are seeking to adjourn a judicial review over the B.C. privacy watchdog’s order that federal parties must adhere to provincial privacy rules. […]
May 3 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Liberal government is working to enshrine in law federal political parties’ ability to gather, store and exploit sensitive information about Canadian voters without oversight or rules. The Liberals’ budget bill, introduced in April, allows parties to “collect, use, disclose, retain and dispose” of Canadians’ personal information as long as they follow their own self-policed […]
Apr 25 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — As federal parties battle in court to avoid privacy rules for voter data, an overwhelming majority of Canadians want more oversight according to recent polling for Elections Canada. There are virtually no rules and zero oversight into how Canada’s federal political parties collect, store and exploit Canadian voters’ personal information – an increasingly important tool […]
Apr 13 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Liberal government thinks the data federal political parties collect on Canadians should be subject to privacy laws, while the Liberal Party is in court actively arguing against such safeguards. Federal political parties are exempt from federal privacy rules, meaning they can collect, store and exploit personal information gleaned from Canadian voters with virtually no […]
Mar 31 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Erin O’Toole first needed to convince the Conservative base that he was a fire-breathing, Big-C Conservative. O’Toole then needed to strike a bargain with his MPs to go along with his plans — which deviated significantly from his leadership persona, dragging the party to the political centre — in exchange for winning back power. When […]
Mar 30 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Canadian government is prepared to support a U.S. effort to restrict the use of powerful commercial spyware that is used to surveil activists, journalists and dissidents, according to a White House document. While the two governments maintain their own sophisticated spying programs, the Biden administration has recently signalled growing concern with private market surveillance […]
Feb 26 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under increasing cross-partisan pressure to call an independent inquiry into foreign meddling in Canadian politics. The push for some form of public inquiry isn’t limited to the Liberals’ political opponents, but former senior national security officials and a former close confidant of the prime minister.
Jan 16 2023 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — A small Canadian telecom service firm is taking issue with a tech watchdog’s report that it discussed working with an alleged front company to help Iranian officials spy on civilians. Citizen Lab, the Toronto-based digital and human rights organization, alleged in a Monday report that Port Coquitlam, B.C.-based PortaOne was involved in 2019 discussions to […]
Dec 16 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Government documents released earlier this week confirm that the Privy Council Office, the nerve centre of the federal bureaucracy which supports Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had signs of Beijing’s alleged attempts to interfere with the 2019 general election. But the heavily censored documents do not make clear where PCO obtained that intelligence, who precisely was […]
Dec 2 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Canadian officials have known for years that the country’s existing laws did not cover foreign governments’ interference in domestic politics, documents reviewed by Global News suggest. The documents were unearthed just as Canada’s public safety minister said the government was looking at ways to beef up its defence against foreign influence in domestic affairs. December […]
Dec 1 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — “Often we cannot do anything.” That was the assessment given to a House of Commons committee earlier this month by Canada’s deputy commissioner of elections, referring to 23 files their office received about potential foreign interference in the country’s two most recent elections.