China’s Relentless Cyber Threats Threaten the Sovereignty of Western Democracies, Canadian Intelligence Warns

OTTAWA — China, with its advanced cyber capabilities and "sheer relentlessness" in targeting elections and the electorates of Western nations, combined with the ruthless tactics of a party-state operating without democratic constraints, represents the most significant threat to the sovereignty of Canada and its Five Eyes allies, Canadian intelligence officials testified Thursday at the Hogue Commission hearings.

The witnesses highlighted that China has now surpassed Russia as the top cyber threat to Canada, becoming more audacious and sophisticated in its methods of foreign interference, particularly in elections and broader national security efforts.

Emphasizing the growing volume and complexity of attacks originating from actors including China, they pointed to a stunning 6.6 billion malicious activities per day that the CSE blocks targeting Canadian government networks.

In response to previous testimony from Conservative MP Garnett Genuis and Liberal MP John McKay, both of whom were subject to a Chinese intelligence-sponsored email attack in 2021, the Commission heard concerns about the Canadian government’s failure to directly alert them of their vulnerability. The testimony underscored the need for better "domestic victim engagement" to improve the sharing of threat information with those affected.