A recent report released by a federal security task force indicated that foreign interference activities during the latest general election were deemed “limited” and often challenging to attribute to international actors. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force comprises representatives from Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the RCMP, and the Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s cyberspy agency.
According to a federal protocol, a group of senior bureaucrats had the authority to alert the public during the election period if they determined that one or more incidents posed a threat to Canada’s ability to conduct a fair and free vote. Despite this, no such announcement was made during the 2025 campaign, which concluded with the election of a minority Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The panel of bureaucrats, known as the “panel of five,” consisted of the clerk of the Privy Council, the national security and intelligence adviser, the deputy attorney general, and the deputy ministers of public safety and foreign affairs. Throughout the election campaign, this panel received regular updates from the security task force.
In a recently disclosed “after-action report,” the task force highlighted instances of transnational repression efforts, particularly originating from China. It observed China-linked actors working to amplify conflicting narratives about political candidates on various social media platforms frequented by Chinese-speaking users in Canada. Additionally, the task force identified Russia’s attempts to engage in foreign information manipulation and interference activities online.
Moreover, the report mentioned incidents where politicians’ identities and images were exploited to promote cryptocurrency and financial scams. The task force briefed the panel on these occurrences and took necessary actions as directed by the panel.
Furthermore, the task force kept Canadians informed about its observations, including through weekly technical briefings to the media conducted during the campaign. The task force’s report was part of a comprehensive summary document on the election released by the government, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding electoral integrity throughout the democratic governance process.
The report highlighted that future elections in Canada should draw upon the lessons learned from the most recent one to enhance protection and promotion of democratic integrity in an increasingly complex landscape.
