Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Good morning, everyone.
First, I would like to acknowledge the presence of my associate deputy minister for public safety, Tricia Geddes, and to begin by thanking all of the people who get up every day to protect our country's democratic institutions, the people who work with them and all Canadians. The security of Canada's democracy is of paramount importance, and the safety and security of our national institutions is thanks to them.
Foreign interference has become an increasingly pervasive threat to democracies worldwide.
Hostile actors, such as Russia, the People's Republic of China, the PRC, and the Iranian regime, continue their attempts to undermine our national interests and to threaten Canadian security.
This is not a new phenomenon, but the challenges surrounding foreign interference have become more complex and insidious and are constantly evolving. That is why our government has taken strong action since forming government in 2015.
Madam Chair, let me explain to the committee the four pillars that underpin our plan to combat foreign interference: prevention, protection, accountability and transparency.
First, all good strategies must start with prevention.
The Digital Citizen Initiative is designed to strengthen democracy and social inclusion in Canada by developing citizen resilience to foreign interference and online disinformation and by establishing partnerships to support a healthy information ecosystem.
Among the initiatives funded through the DCI is the Canadian Digital Media Research Network, which is undertaking activities to help Canadians become more resilient and to think critically about the information they consume online.
Within the federal government, my predecessor, Minister Blair, issued a letter to all parliamentarians in 2020 providing information and resource support to them. As you know, Madam Chair, CSIS continues to provide briefings to parliamentarians to better understand how to protect themselves and their offices from foreign interference.
Second, we are increasing protection. We're mobilizing new tools and resources to ensure the safety of Canadians including parliamentarians. This includes most recently increasing funding for the RCMP by $48.9 million to protect Canadians from harassment and intimidation by foreign actors, to increase its investigative capacity and to proactively support communities most at risk of being targeted.
We're also working with the Sergeant-at-Arms and the PPS here on the Hill to provide more security for parliamentarians and their staff and we have recently established a new national counter-foreign interference coordinator, which is being headed out of my department at Public Safety Canada.
Third, we are making sure we hold hostile actors more accountable.
The RCMP reported that it had shut down foreign interference activities relating to the so‑called police stations and that it was conducting some 100 investigations into the matter. The RCMP will be on the lookout for any future threats.
My colleague Ms. Joly recently expelled a foreign diplomat and is also implementing a system of sanctions against the Iranian regime. We will continue to use all government resources at our disposal to force hostile actors to account.
Also, we are pursuing, as you know, the creation of a foreign influence transparency registry. We have concluded the official public consultation phase of that exercise, in particular working with and engaging diaspora communities so that we can create this new tool in the right way.
Finally, we know that transparency is fundamental to countering foreign interference and to building the trust and confidence of Canadians. We're taking lessons and recommendations from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.
I've already mentioned two very concrete examples, which I am leading, of the implementation of those recommendations, through the creation of a national coordinator to combat foreign interference, as well as the creation of the foreign influence transparency regime. There's also NSIRA and most recently, the work that was completed by the Right Honourable David Johnston in his first report. It's a report that lays out a path forward to continue, through a public exercise, the engagement of Canadians so that they better understand how it is our national security establishment is equipped to fight against foreign interference.
Our government and our national security agencies being more open than ever about the threats we are facing is the best way to protect and strengthen our democracy.
Of course, we know that foreign interference has an impact well beyond our elections and elected officials. All facets of Canadian society need to be protected from this potential threat. When individuals in Canada are subjected to intimidation, harassment or manipulation by foreign states or their proxies, these activities are a threat to our sovereignty and to the safety of all Canadians. They will never be tolerated. Law enforcement will independently take the appropriate actions that are necessary.
With several federal by-elections fast approaching, the security and intelligence threats to elections task force has been activated to ensure the protection of our electoral processes. When it comes to our economy and society writ large, we know that academic institutions, energy and technological sectors and many others are a vector for this threat.
All of these measures and investments follow the principles of prevention, protection, accountability and transparency that I mentioned earlier. And they transcend political and partisan lines. All members of Parliament share a moral imperative to uphold our country’s institutions and to keep our constituents, and their fellow citizens, safe.
We know that threats to democratic institutions persist, such as foreign interference and disinformation, but I want to reassure all members of this committee and in Parliament, and, indeed, Canadians that our government will continue to take all of the steps that are necessary to mitigate those threats to our national security landscape, including by tackling foreign interference.
Thank you.
