RCMP Investigations Into Foreign Interference Increase Sixfold Amid Rising Incidents

RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme appears as a witness at the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa on April 4, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

The RCMP has intensified its efforts to counter foreign interference following a sharp increase in such activities since 2018, according to briefing documents prepared for RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme.

The RCMP reported a 468 percent rise in foreign interference-related occurrences between 2018 and 2022. This upward trend continued last year, with the number of incidents reaching 136 by mid-2023, according to the document, which was first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.

The surge in foreign interference activities prompted an increase in RCMP investigations, rising from 32 to 182 during the four-year time span.

These figures were reported in a March 21 “Briefing Binder” for Commissioner Duheme as he testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

“The RCMP has a mandate to investigate any foreign interference or any other matter that may affect national security,” he told MPs at the committee meeting.

The committee was recently tasked with studying Bill C-70, which aimed at establishing a foreign influence transparency registry. The bill, which passed into law and received royal assent on June 20, also grants the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the ability to share intelligence about threats with non-federal entities and introduces foreign interference-related criminal offences.

The Briefing Binder specifically identified China as a foreign state engaged in interference activities, noting that the Chinese regime aims to “advance their political, economic, and security interests to the detriment of Canada’s.”

The RCMP responds to threats, including criminal instances of harassment, intimidation, and coercion from foreign actors, the agency says. Additionally, the RCMP remains focused on addressing criminal attempts by foreign influences against Canada’s electoral processes.

An ongoing public inquiry is studying Beijing’s alleged meddling in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections, alongside interference activities by other malicious foreign countries. In a May 3 interim report, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue highlighted the impacts of Beijing’s influence, saying it “diminished the ability of some voters to cast an informed vote.”

Interference in Canada

The inquiry was launched amid media reports of China and its proxies targeting Canada, including a leaked intelligence report stating that the regime views Canada as a “high-priority target.”

Numerous instances of China’s interference and related criminal activities have come to light in recent years, including a cyberattack by a Chinese state-backed hacker group on parliamentarians in 2021. The FBI disclosed this incident in a U.S. indictment released in March, which charged seven Chinese nationals connected to the hacker group.

The Chinese regime drew widespread condemnation in 2023 after its spy balloons were identified trespassing into North American airspace and were subsequently shot down by the U.S. military.

Beijing’s alleged operations of secret police stations, both in Canada and globally, has also received widespread condemnation. Liberal MP John McKay described the illegal police stations as “an egregious extension of extraterritoriality.”

Human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders, which brought the issue to the attention of the public in its 2022 reports, warned that some of these police outposts contributed to the regime’s transnational repression of diaspora communities and are involved in forced repatriation of Chinese nationals. These concerns have been echoed by CSIS.

Targeting of Diaspora

Human rights groups and the government have said that Chinese Canadians are among the primary victims of Beijing’s foreign interference. The regime has also targeted politicians with Chinese heritage, including Conservative MP Michael Chong and NDP MP Jenny Kwan, due to their outspoken criticism of China’s human rights record.

The RCMP has recently ramped up efforts to engage the Chinese community, encouraging them to report incidents of intimidation and harassment linked to the Chinese regime. Quebec RCMP conducted a public outreach initiative July 10, going door-to-door in Montreal’s Chinatown and nearby Brossard, raising awareness about foreign interference.

Quebec RCMP previously confirmed to The Epoch Times that it received six reports of interference following a July 9 video campaign on social media that solicited tips from residents.

“The RCMP is actively investigating allegations of criminal activity related to foreign interference in Quebec. Education and collection of information are integral parts of our investigative efforts,” Quebec RCMP stated in a July 16 emailed statement.

Matthew Horwood, Noé Chartier, and Omid Ghoreishi contributed to this report.