A recent report by a federal security task force suggests that foreign interference activities during the previous general election were of a “small scale” nature and often challenging to attribute to foreign entities. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, comprising representatives from Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the RCMP, and the Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s cyberspy agency, was involved in this assessment.
During the election campaign, a group of senior bureaucrats had the authority, under a federal protocol, to alert the public if any incidents jeopardized Canada’s ability to conduct a fair and free vote. No such alerts were issued during the 2025 campaign, which culminated in the election of a minority Liberal government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The panel of bureaucrats, known as the “panel of five,” which includes officials such as the clerk of the Privy Council and the national security and intelligence adviser, received regular updates from the security task force throughout the campaign. In a publicly released “after-action report,” the task force highlighted transnational repression efforts, particularly by China, including attempts to shape contrasting narratives about political candidates on various social media platforms frequented by Chinese-speaking users in Canada.
The report also noted Russia’s involvement in online foreign information manipulation and interference activities. Additionally, the task force identified instances where politicians’ names and images were exploited to promote cryptocurrency and financial scams. These incidents were reported to the panel and addressed based on its guidance.
Furthermore, the task force kept Canadians informed about its observations, including through weekly technical briefings to the media during the campaign. The task force’s report was part of a comprehensive summary document on the election released by the government, emphasizing the ongoing need to safeguard electoral integrity in the democratic process. Looking ahead to future elections, the insights gained from the latest election will be crucial in enhancing measures to protect and uphold democratic principles in an increasingly complex environment.