Date of Publishing:
Letter to the Prime Minister
April 26, 2024
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister,
On behalf of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), it is my pleasure to present you with our special report on the Review of the dissemination of intelligence on People’s Republic of China political foreign interference, 2018-2023.
This review was conducted under the authority of paragraphs 8(1)(a) and 8(1)(b) of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Act (NSIRA Act).
The review assessed the flow of information, within government, regarding political foreign interference activities carried out by the People’s Republic of China between 2018 and 2023, a period covering the last two federal general elections. Consistent with its mandate and the terms of reference, NSIRA reviewed, among other things: the dissemination practices of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service; the operation of key entities established by the government to protect the integrity of Canada’s elections; and the role of senior public servants, including the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, in the dissemination of intelligence. You received a classified version of this report on March 5, 2024.
From the outset of its review, while working independently from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), NSIRA helped ensure there was no unnecessary duplication of work between the two review bodies. On March 5, 2024, NSIRA notified NSICOP, as well as the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, that NSIRA’s classified report had been finalized and provided to you.
At that time, NSIRA further informed you that it was of the opinion that it was in the public interest to report on this matter and would therefore, pursuant to section 40 of the NSIRA Act, be submitting to you a special report to be tabled in Parliament. Over a period of six weeks, in accordance with paragraph 52(1)(b) of the NSIRA Act, NSIRA undertook the required consultations with the deputy heads of concerned agencies and departments to ensure that this special report does not contain information the disclosure of which would be injurious to national security, national defence, or international relations or information that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, the professional secrecy of advocates and notaries, or litigation privilege.
Recognizing the importance of this topic to Canadians, NSIRA made every effort to draft the report in a manner that would be largely releasable. NSIRA sought specific explanations for the redactions that were made and is satisfied that the presented version of the report is the most thorough version that can be released. The findings and recommendations in NSIRA’s classified report did not contain any injurious or privileged information. As such, the findings and recommendations of the special report are identical to those contained in the classified report.
In line with obligations under the NSIRA Act, this report must be tabled in each House of Parliament within the first 15 days on which that House is sitting. NSIRA will not comment on the contents of its report until such time as this special report is tabled in Parliament, owing to parliamentary privilege.
This report contains 8 recommendations. We ask that the Government indicate to NSIRA whether it agrees with these recommendations and, if so, to explain how they will be implemented. The thorough and timely consideration of NSIRA’s recommendations is essential to ensuring that NSIRA’s efforts with regard to the accountability of government institutions yield results. If and when available, NSIRA may publish the Government’s responses to its recommendations alongside the version of this report on NSIRA’s website and may include them in an Annual Report.
Yours sincerely,
The Honourable Marie Deschamps, C.C.
Chair // National Security and Intelligence Review Agency
