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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Immigration lawyers say rising number of CSIS security screenings causing delays
OTTAWA – The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says it's dealing with a growing number of immigration security screening requests — and immigration lawyers say their clients are coping with long delays as a result. In its new annual report, the intelligence agency says it received more than 538,000 screening requests from immigration and border officials in 2024, a significant increase over the roughly 300,000 screening requests it received annually before 2023. The report says that while there 'continues to be a high volume of applications awaiting security screening,' the intelligence agency will 'take the time required' to complete them. The increase in screening requests is being driven in part by a spike in the number of asylum seekers coming to Canada, all of whom must be screened. Immigration lawyers in B.C. and Ontario say their clients are facing extended delays due to security screening and no one is explaining why. Ali Abuhannoud, a Jordanian refugee who is applying for Canadian citizenship, says he has been waiting for his security screening result since May 2024, despite having been screened twice previously. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Canada's security under threat as CSIS uncovers Chinese spy targeting government secrets
Canada's top intelligence agency has issued an espionage alert, warning federal departments and academic institutions that an individual is allegedly trying to gather sensitive information on behalf of the Chinese government. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) confirmed it shared the 'espionage advisory' in recent weeks with multiple government offices and universities across the country. The individual in question, whose identity has not been disclosed, is believed to be seeking privileged data for China's intelligence services, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam told Global News. 'CSIS advised recipients to use extreme caution when dealing with this person and avoid discussing confidential and sensitive information with them,' Balsam said. 'Suspicious encounters with this individual should be reported to the appropriate security officials.' This is one of the most explicit warnings CSIS has made public in recent years, amid growing scrutiny of China's global intelligence operations and foreign interference campaigns. Pattern of espionage Live Events While CSIS has not named the person or identified the specific departments or universities involved, this alert follows a series of high-profile cases linking Canadian research institutions to Chinese interests. Yuesheng Wang, a former battery researcher at Hydro-Québec, became the first person in Canada charged with economic espionage in 2022. Authorities accused him of obtaining trade secrets for China. He faces additional charges filed last year. In a separate case, two federal scientists at Canada's top infectious disease lab in Winnipeg were fired in 2021 over concerns about alleged ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Government reports later suggested they had shared sensitive data with Chinese researchers. 'The PRC has repeatedly shown that it is willing to use clandestine and deceptive means to acquire intellectual property and emerging technologies,' CSIS wrote in its 2024 annual report, identifying China as Canada's top counterintelligence threat. Focus on critical technologies According to CSIS, China is particularly interested in Canada's advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and even space technology, sectors that impact both industry and national defense. In response to 'hostile actors,' CSIS says it has dramatically increased security briefings for space sector professionals, warning them about the growing risk of sabotage and espionage from adversarial states, including Russia and China. Just last week, the Canadian government ordered Hikvision , a Chinese surveillance tech giant, to shut down its operations in Canada due to national security risks. The Hogue Commission, which investigated foreign interference in Canadian democracy earlier this year, called China 'the most active perpetrator' of such campaigns and said Beijing poses 'the most sophisticated and active cyber threat to Canada.' CSIS has made clear it 'does not hesitate' to issue such advisories to defend Canada's national interests. Still, experts say that transparency will be critical in ensuring both security and trust as international tensions deepen.
Economic Times
06-07-2025
- Economic Times
Canada's security under threat as CSIS uncovers Chinese spy targeting government secrets
TIL Creatives CSIS issues rare espionage alert over suspected Chinese spy targeting Canadian government and academic secrets, raising urgent national security concerns Canada's top intelligence agency has issued an espionage alert, warning federal departments and academic institutions that an individual is allegedly trying to gather sensitive information on behalf of the Chinese government. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) confirmed it shared the 'espionage advisory' in recent weeks with multiple government offices and universities across the country. The individual in question, whose identity has not been disclosed, is believed to be seeking privileged data for China's intelligence services, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam told Global News. 'CSIS advised recipients to use extreme caution when dealing with this person and avoid discussing confidential and sensitive information with them,' Balsam said. 'Suspicious encounters with this individual should be reported to the appropriate security officials.'This is one of the most explicit warnings CSIS has made public in recent years, amid growing scrutiny of China's global intelligence operations and foreign interference campaigns. While CSIS has not named the person or identified the specific departments or universities involved, this alert follows a series of high-profile cases linking Canadian research institutions to Chinese interests. Yuesheng Wang, a former battery researcher at Hydro-Québec, became the first person in Canada charged with economic espionage in 2022. Authorities accused him of obtaining trade secrets for China. He faces additional charges filed last a separate case, two federal scientists at Canada's top infectious disease lab in Winnipeg were fired in 2021 over concerns about alleged ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Government reports later suggested they had shared sensitive data with Chinese researchers.'The PRC has repeatedly shown that it is willing to use clandestine and deceptive means to acquire intellectual property and emerging technologies,' CSIS wrote in its 2024 annual report, identifying China as Canada's top counterintelligence to CSIS, China is particularly interested in Canada's advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and even space technology, sectors that impact both industry and national response to 'hostile actors,' CSIS says it has dramatically increased security briefings for space sector professionals, warning them about the growing risk of sabotage and espionage from adversarial states, including Russia and China. Just last week, the Canadian government ordered Hikvision, a Chinese surveillance tech giant, to shut down its operations in Canada due to national security risks. The Hogue Commission, which investigated foreign interference in Canadian democracy earlier this year, called China 'the most active perpetrator' of such campaigns and said Beijing poses 'the most sophisticated and active cyber threat to Canada.'CSIS has made clear it 'does not hesitate' to issue such advisories to defend Canada's national interests. Still, experts say that transparency will be critical in ensuring both security and trust as international tensions deepen.
Global News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
CSIS issues espionage alert about suspect seeking sensitive information for Chinese intelligence
Canadian intelligence officials have warned federal departments about an individual they believe is trying to obtain sensitive information for China's spy services, Global News has learned. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service confirmed on Friday that it had issued an 'espionage advisory' to government departments and universities, notifying them about the person. 'We can confirm that an espionage advisory was shared with certain federal departments and universities regarding a person who is attempting to obtain sensitive and privileged Canadian information on behalf of the People's Republic of China intelligence services,' a CSIS spokesperson said. 'CSIS advised recipients to use extreme caution when dealing with this person and avoid discussing confidential and sensitive information with them. We also advised that suspicious encounters with this individual should be reported to the appropriate security officials.' The CSIS spokesperson, Eric Balsam, said the intelligence service issued such warnings as part of its effort to 'protect and safeguard sensitive and privileged Canadian information.' Story continues below advertisement 'We do not hesitate to take measures, including the issuance of espionage advisories, to warn stakeholders within and outside the Government of Canada, as appropriate, about national security threats.' 23:24 The West Block: Canada to continue diplomacy with alleged foreign interference actors, Joly says In its response to Global News, CSIS would not say exactly when the advisory was shared, except that it was 'in recent weeks.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Nor did CSIS name the individual believed to be seeking information for China, or the departments and universities that are allegedly being targeted. But the People's Republic of China (PRC) is considered Canada's top counter-intelligence threat, and has long tried to steal research and technology from Western countries. The first suspect to be prosecuted in Canada for economic espionage, electric vehicle battery researcher Yuesheng Wang, was arrested in 2022 for allegedly obtaining trade secrets for China while employed at Hydro-Québec. Story continues below advertisement He faced new charges last year. The government announced in 2021 that a scientist at Winnipeg's infectious disease laboratory and her husband had been fired over concerns about allegedly sharing information with China. 'The PRC has repeatedly shown that it is willing to use clandestine and deceptive means to acquire intellectual property and emerging technologies,' CSIS said in its annual report last month. Beijing is particularly interested in getting its hands on Canada's artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and aerospace technology to boost its industry and military, the report said. 'With its advanced economy and cutting-edge research expertise, in 2024, Canada was a frequent target of pernicious PRC activities that threatened Canada's economic prosperity,' it added. 2:02 Ex-member of Chinese cyber warfare department was living in Winnipeg: officials In response to 'hostile actors' seeking Canadian space technology, CSIS said it had significantly increased the number of security briefings it provided to those working in the field. Story continues below advertisement 'These briefings raised awareness of the increasing threats to the Canadian space sector and sought to harden the Canadian space sector against espionage and sabotage perpetrated by adversarial foreign states, including Russia and China.' Last week, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the federal government had ordered Chinese surveillance camera system company Hikvision to close its Canadian business and leave the country over national security concerns. The Hogue Commission identified China as 'the most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canada's democratic institutions. The PRC views Canada as a high-priority target.' China also 'poses the most sophisticated and active cyber threat to Canada and CSIS assesses it as increasingly using social media and the Internet for disinformation campaigns involving elections,' the Commission wrote.
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Controversial interview: X restores a/c of Indo-Canadian journalist
Toronto: The social media handle of a prominent Indo-Canadian journalist Sameer Kaushal was restored 72 hours after the platform X suspended it, following a post featuring an interview with a former pro-Khalistan extremist who alleged that Pakistan's spy agency had multiple agents in Canada and were covertly working with separatists targeting India. Indo-Canadian journalist Sameer Kaushal who had his handle suspended by X. (Supplied photo) Those allegations were voiced by Jaswal Atwal, who was convicted in Canada for the attempted murder of visiting Punjab Minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu in Vancouver Island in 1986. He was interviewed by Kaushal, the founder-editor of the digital outlet News Derby. Hours later Kaushal received a notice from X that his personal account, where he had posted the video of the interview, had been suspended for violating its 'rules against authenticity'. 'As an independent journalist, I rely on X as a vital platform for exercising freedom of speech and for delivering factual, daring journalism to the community. There is a possibility that some powerful forces may have targeted my account due to my commitment to reporting the truth,' Kaushal said in a statement. 'This sudden suspension has come as a complete surprise and is deeply concerning, as my account serves as a significant platform for communication, information sharing, and engagement with my community,' he added. The handle was finally restored on Monday. Atwal has been a controversial character who was once a hardcore supporter of Khalistan but turned against separatism and was given visas to travel to India as part of the amnesty launched by the Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. Atwal was famously present at a reception hosted by the Canadian government in Mumbai for then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his visit to India in February 2018, a development which caused Ottawa serious embarrassment. Canada later blamed 'rogue elements' in the Indian government for subverting the visit, without explaining how they managed to plant Atwal at an invite-only event organised by the Canadian government. In its annual report to parliament for 2024, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) noted, 'Pakistan conducts foreign interference against Canada to promote political, security and economic stability in Pakistan and to counter India's growing global influence. Canada is an attractive foreign interference target due to its significant South Asian community and presence of groups who may be utilised as pro- Pakistan or anti-India proxies.' It added per its assessment 'Pakistan will continue to target various levels of government as well as ethnic, cultural and religious communities, specifically in relation to electoral nomination processes. They may also target media.' Testifying before the foreign interference commission in October last year, senior Canadian intelligence official Vanessa Lloyd said Pakistan was 'trying to reduce the influence of India'. She also said while foreign interference usually related to suppression of voices, it 'may also have the opposite effect in terms of amplifying other voices, and in this particular case, influence of Pakistan is directly related to support of Khalistani extremism'.
