Canada’s primary intelligence agency has issued a significant warning about escalating espionage activities by foreign states in the country’s northern territories. According to the agency’s annual threat assessment, both Russia and China have demonstrated substantial intelligence gathering operations targeting government and private sector entities in the Arctic.
The agency director emphasized that hostile nations are becoming increasingly assertive in their Arctic operations, noting documented cases of both cyber and traditional intelligence collection methods being deployed against Canadian interests in the region.
This warning comes as Canada continues to bolster its northern presence, recognizing the strategic importance of Arctic waterways and the region’s vast mineral resources. Recent government initiatives include substantial infrastructure funding and considerations for expanding the nation’s submarine fleet.
The intelligence chief also revealed that agency operatives successfully disrupted Russian attempts to illegally obtain Canadian technology for military purposes in Ukraine. Several Canadian companies were alerted to Russian front operations seeking to acquire restricted goods, prompting immediate cancellation of the transactions.
Additionally, the agency reported instances of Chinese intelligence services attempting to recruit Canadian citizens with access to sensitive information and military expertise.
Beyond concerns about Russia and China, the intelligence service confirmed it had intervened to prevent what it described as “potentially lethal threats” by Iranian operatives against dissidents residing in Canada. This marks the first public acknowledgment of such protective operations targeting individuals perceived as threats to the Tehran regime.
Canada’s relationship with Iran remains severely strained, with diplomatic ties severed over a decade ago and recent designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
