National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Annual Report 2020

Submitted to the Prime Minister on December 18, 2019 pursuant to subsection 21(1) of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (Revised version pursuant to subsection 21(5) of the NSICOP Act)

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (2021)
All rights reserved.
Ottawa, ON

National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

Annual Report 2020 (Revised version pursuant to subsection 21(5) of the NSICOP Act)
CP100E (Print)
ISSN 2562-5101 (Print)

CP100E-PDF (Online)
ISSN 2562-511X (Online)

Annual Report 2020

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P.
Chair

Submitted to the Prime Minister on December 18, 2020
Revised version tabled in Parliament in March 2021

Revisions

Consistent with subsection 21(1) of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act (NSICOP Act), the Committee must submit an annual report to the Prime Minister. Consistent with subsection 21(5) of the NSICOP Act, the Prime Minister may, after consulting the Chair of the Committee, direct the Committee to submit to him or her a revised version of the annual report that does not contain information the Prime Minister believes the disclosure of which would be injurious to national security, national defence or international relations or is information that is protected by solicitor-client privilege.

This document is a revised version of the Annual Report provided to the Prime Minister on 18 December 2020. Revisions were made to remove information the disclosure of which the Prime Minister believes would be injurious to national security, national defence or international relations or which constitutes solicitor-client privilege. Where information could simply be removed without affecting the readability of the document, the Committee noted the removal with three asterisks (***) in the text of this document. Where information could not simply be removed without affecting the readability of the document, the Committee revised the document to summarize the information that was removed. Those sections are marked with three asterisks at the beginning and the end of the summary, and the summary is enclosed by square brackets (see example below).

Example: [*** Revised sections are marked with three asterisks at the beginning and the end of the sentence, and the summary is enclosed by square brackets. ***]

Chair's Message
Ottawa, ON — December 18, 2020

This past year has been one of challenge and adaptation for the Committee, the national security and intelligence community, the government, Canadians and the world. The pandemic has had a significant impact on all aspects of our lives, but we continue to persevere.

This annual report — our third — is a result of that perseverance.

In February 2020, NSICOP was reconstituted following its dissolution prior to the 2019 federal election. We welcomed new members from all recognized parties and groups in both Houses of Parliament. In the weeks following their appointment, our newest members devoted themselves to learning about the complex world of security and intelligence and familiarizing themselves with NSICOP's past reviews. Together, both new and returning members demonstrated their commitment to NSICOP's mandate and put aside partisan differences to work on issues that affect the security and rights of all Canadians.

In March 2020, NSICOP's 2019 Annual Report and its separate special report on the collection of information on Canadians by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces were tabled in Parliament. Those reports demonstrate NSICOP's ability to delve into complex and sensitive issues. We hope that our findings and recommendations continue to strengthen the accountability and effectiveness of the security and intelligence community. In that context, the Committee was encouraged to see the Prime Minister direct the Ministers of National Defence and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to introduce a framework for defence intelligence, pursuant to recommendations made by the Committee in 2018 and 2019.

In the days following the tabling of our 2019 annual report and special report, a nation-wide shutdown was put into effect to assist in "flattening the curve" of Covid-19. Our operations were curtailed and our work plan was disrupted in the early weeks of the pandemic due to constraints of physical distancing and limits on in-person gatherings. The Committee remained in regular contact and seized opportunities for safe engagement, such as participating in podcasts in Canada and abroad to discuss the Committee's reviews. The Committee is encouraged to see more frequent references to NSICOP reports in the media, academia and in Parliament itself; we believe this will increase Canadians' understanding of the security and intelligence community and the challenges it faces.

Since September, we have resumed regular Committee meetings, albeit at an altered pace and through different formats. NSICOP's 2020 Annual Report is unlike its predecessor reports. While the Committee has agreed on two important reviews in 2020 — the national security and intelligence activities of Global Affairs Canada and the government's framework and activities to defend its systems and networks from cyber attack — those reviews will be completed in 2021. We are actively examining material, obtaining briefings and conducting hearings with relevant departments and agencies, academics and civil society organizations.

As a result, this annual report focuses on updating the important threat assessment first undertaken by the Committee in its 2018 Annual Report. Specifically, the assessment covers threats to Canada from terrorism, foreign interference and espionage, cyber attacks, organized crime and weapons of mass destruction. Despite the challenges in mitigating the risks of the pandemic, the dedicated members of the national security and intelligence community provided relevant and helpful material in the preparation of this threat assessment. The Committee wishes to thank them for their support.

The foreword of NSICOP's 2019 Annual Report reflected on the lessons and challenges of the Committee's first two years. As described, bath the Committee and the security and intelligence community had much to learn from the new reality of parliamentary review. During the past year, productive discussions with the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister (NSIA) have helped address significant and pressing challenges faced by the Committee in accessing information "that is under the contrai of a department and that is related to the fulfilment of the Committee's mandate," as stated in section 13(1) of the NSICOP Act. The Committee is confident that the NSIA will continue to provide the necessary leadership to support its broad and, with the explicit restrictions identified in statute, unfettered access to information.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my NSICOP colleagues for their commitment to the Committee's important work and the Secretariat for their unfailing dedication and their resiliency in these difficult times.

The Honourable David McGuinty, P.C., M.P.
Chair
National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

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The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

• The Hon. David McGuinty, P.C., M.P. (Chair)
• Mr. Don Davies, M.P.
• The Hon. Dennis Dawson, Senator
• Mr. Ted Falk, M.P.
• The Hon. Frances Lankin, P.C., C.M., Senator
• The Hon. Vernon White, Senator
• Mr. Glen Motz, M.O.M., M.P.
• Ms. Christine Normandin, M.P. (resigned February 20, 2020)
• Ms. Jennifer O'Connell, M.P.
• Ms. Brenda Shanahan, M.P.

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The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • The Committee's 2020 activities
  • Update on the government's response to the Committee's recommendations
  • Looking ahead
  • Reporting requirements
  • Format of the annual report
• Threats to Canada: An Overview
  • Terrorism
    • Overview
    • Description of the threat
    • Key conclusions
  • Espionage and Foreign Interference
    • Overview
    • Description of the threat
    • Key conclusions
  • Malicious Cyber Activities
    • Overview
    • Description of the threat
    • Key conclusions
  • Major Organized Crime
    • Overview
    • Description of the threat
    • Key conclusions
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction
    • Overview
    • Description of the threat
    • Key conclusions
• Conclusion
• Annex A: Overview and Key Conclusions