Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has addressed a twelve-page letter to MP’s detailing an organized and hostile covert effort by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to silence dissent and steal commercial secrets and sensitive technology from Canadian businesses and governments..Blair described China’s extensive foreign interference program in Canada, saying Beijing was using a host of covert methods to silence dissent and steal commercial secrets and sensitive technology – characterizing the espionage as a “significant threat” to the integrity of the political system and economy,” it was reported..China is no late-comer to espionage..In his seminal work The Art of War, 6th century B.C. Chinese philosopher-general Sun Tzu identified five classes of spies – (1) Local spies, (2) inward spies, (3) converted spies, (4) doomed spies, and (5) surviving spies..“When these five kinds of spy are all at work –none can discover the secret system. This is called ‘divine manipulation of the threads.’ It is the sovereign’s most precious faculty,” he wrote..Blair referred to interference by foreign adversaries as a “significant threat” to the integrity of the political system and economy, and cited numerous specific examples of China’s hostile activities in Canada..The letter also stated “certain regimes” were targeting Canada with state-sponsored disinformation designed to create doubt regarding the origins of COVID-19, while portraying their own responses to the pandemic as “superior,” reported Global News..“Through investigations and monitoring, we continue to identify and shed light on the multiple ways foreign interference manifests itself in Canada, allowing us to be well-armed with the knowledge needed to deploy our tools to counter it,” Blair wrote..The letter was written in response to an earlier motion sponsored by Conservative (Wellington – Halton Hills) foreign affairs critic MP Michael Chong, requiring the Liberals to table a plan to combat foreign interference, specifically from China. The motion asked the government to announce its long-awaited decision on whether to allow the Chinese telecom company Huawei into Canada’s 5G network market, Global said..While Blair’s letter did not address Huawei specifically, it did state the government was “particularly concerned” about giving foreign adversaries control over and access to sensitive technologies, critical infrastructure and the personal data of Canadians..After receiving the letter, Chong said in a statement it was simply a summary of government activities, did not include a “robust plan” and had not addressed the part of the motion that called on the Liberals to make a decision on Huawei..“The Liberal government is failing to uphold democratic norms and defend Canada’s sovereignty by failing to comply with the motion on China adopted on November 18th,” said Chong in a posted statement on social media..The minister’s letter however, did provide a high-level view of foreign adversaries working within the country to advance their own political, economic and security interests – to the detriment of Canada’s interests..Although Blair’s letter mentioned Russia and North Korea, it was most concerned with China’s hostile activities..“Whenever malign foreign states seek to harm our communities, undermined our values or jeopardize the very institutions on which our country is built, we will take action,” Blair wrote..Ken Grafton is the Western Standards Ottawa Bureau Chief. He can be reached at kgrafton@westernstandardonline.com
