Canadian legislators targeted by Chinese Communist Party hackers in 2021 were never informed of the cyberattacks, a failure that should have been avoided, the Department of Public Safety admitted at the Commission on Foreign Interference.Blacklock's Reporter says Shawn Tupper, Deputy Public Safety Minister, testified that MPs targeted by foreign agents deserved direct warnings. "I think there is a need to brief parliamentarians on threats," said Tupper, though he declined to discuss the specific details of classified memos related to the hack.The Commission released a document summarizing evidence presented behind closed doors, noting that Canadian MPs were among 400 parliamentarians worldwide targeted by Chinese hackers. The document referenced a 2023 email exchange discussing the targeting of members of the Interparliamentary Alliance on China by agents of the People’s Republic of China. While Tupper was not involved in those emails, one message highlighted his prior remarks about the importance of briefing parliamentarians on such threats.Among those targeted were Liberal MP John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood, Ont.) and Conservative MP Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.), neither of whom was informed about the cyberattacks at the time.Reflecting on the breach, MP McKay expressed concern about potential exposure. “I started to think about how I may have inadvertently or unwittingly exposed personal and partisan activities to my parliamentary account,” McKay testified on September 17. He added, “I don’t think there’s been any consequences of that, but in truth, I don’t know.”During his testimony, McKay admitted he was unaware of which of his email accounts had been compromised. “I only carry one device,” he said, while emphasizing his belief that MPs had been left vulnerable.Conservative MP Garnett Genuis was more direct in his criticism, calling the lack of communication from the government a fundamental failure. “Is the current system adequate? No,” Genuis said in his testimony. “When the government becomes aware of threats, they should talk to us about it. That is clearly the biggest failure here.”Genuis argued that had MPs been notified, they could have taken steps to better protect themselves. “We could have taken steps to protect ourselves more effectively if we had been informed. We were not informed. It remains mysterious to me why nobody thought I had a right.”The Conservative MP concluded by emphasizing the government's duty to inform those who are targeted by foreign threats. "Only a 'pretty weak excuse' could be made for keeping the cyberattacks secret," he said.
