Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think it's most important to look at what governments and countries that have been dealing with this challenge much longer than yours and mine have done to try to counter these threats and build resilience in their society. The Nordic and Scandinavian countries and the Baltic states are particularly good examples.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  For those who don't know, the authoritarian interference tracker is an online tool we have, which maps and catalogues Russian and Chinese interference in the trans-Atlantic community, including Canada, since the year 2000. There are cases beyond 2020, but they may not be applicable to Canada.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, ma'am. It's a great question. What's difficult, especially as a representative of civil society, is that our resources are extremely limited to do exactly the type of engagement that's necessary to make sure that these best practices get in the hands of the right people.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Absolutely, and part of the problem is that we, as democracies, allow the fox into the henhouse. With a lot of our financial legislation, when the money comes in from China or Russia and is connected to state-sponsored actors or to the governments directly, oftentimes it's legal.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Distinguished members of the committee, good evening from Washington, D.C., and thank you for inviting me. I was asked to discuss the collaboration of my organization, the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund, with the Government of Canada and Microsoft on a joint initiative that brought together leading experts, policy-makers and industry professionals from around the world to produce a practical guide of best practices that key stakeholders in democracies can use to counter foreign interference in elections.