Is the Chinese government trying to acquire land and companies to spy on Canada?
Canada has blocked attempts by the Chinese government to acquire properties near sensitive and strategic locations over espionage concerns, according to the head of Canada's leading intelligence agency.
"We have seen in the past acquisition of land, acquisition of different companies where when you start to dig a little bit further, you realize that there is another intent," Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director David Vigneault said in a recent interview with . "And we have seen and blocked attempts by the (People's Republic of China) to acquire locations near sensitive, strategic assets of the country where we knew that the ultimate purpose was for spying operations."
Vigneault was interviewed alongside FBI director Christopher Wray and other Five Eyes intelligence chiefs. Created during World War II, the Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance between the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam declined to provide specific details or examples of blocked Chinese acquisitions in Canada.
"In a world marked by economic competition, some states seek to advance their strategic political, economic and military objectives by exploiting investment and trade with other countries, including Canada," Balsam said.
Balsam cites two new national security laws in China that compel companies and citizens to co-operate with the intelligence agencies. The , he adds, sets out a national security review process for foreign investments in the country.
"There are important limits to what I can publicly discuss given the need to protect sensitive activities, techniques, methods, and sources of intelligence," Balsam said. "I can assure you that CSIS is committed to protecting Canada and Canadians from national security threats."
China has also been accused of operating over 100 so-called "police stations" abroad to monitor dissidents and its diaspora community under the guise of providing services like driver's license renewals. The RCMP has reportedly moved to shut operations like these down in Canada. The Chinese government has strongly denied these allegations.
U.S. lawmakers have also sounded alarms over Chinese entities purchasing companies and large tracts of farmland, including properties near American military bases.
"There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our innovation, our economic security, and ultimately our national security," FBI director Christopher Wray told 60 minutes. "We welcome business with China, visitors from China, academic exchange. What we don't welcome is cheating and theft and repression."
Defence Minister Bill Blair was asked about the CSIS director's Chinese espionage claims on Monday, and he was indirect in his response.
"I am quite familiar with the work that Canada has done to protect our national interests, the protection of critical infrastructure, and I'm not going to talk in any detail about the intelligence we've relied upon or even actions that have been taken," Blair, who served as public safety minister between 2019 and 2021, told reporters. "I've been a member of this cabinet now for over six years and we have engaged in many such actions over the past six years."
China's embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
John Ferris, a history professor at the University of Calgary and a fellow at the university's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, says he has no doubt that these problems are real.
"A decade ago, around the oil patch in Calgary, the general belief was that Chinese purchases of Canadian energy companies was for purposes of acquiring technology and espionage," Ferris told CTVNews.ca. "Vigneault's other points seems to me to refer to Chinese entities buying properties from which they can intercept cell phone communications, or other electronic emanations, e.g. from PCs, whether from government or private organizations."
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP needs to decide whether 4 million Canadians deserve dental care: minister
Procurement Minister and newly appointed Quebec lieutenant Jean-Yves Duclos is warning the NDP that the dental care program it helped put into place will be in jeopardy if it pulls its support from the governing Liberals.
What is the U.S. Electoral College? America's path to the presidency, explained
In less than two months, Americans will go to the polls to choose their next president. But the process that translates those millions of votes into one seat in the Oval Office is much more complicated than a straight tally.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, makes first public appearance after cancer treatment
Kate, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance Sunday since she announced she had completed chemotherapy and would return to some public duties.
Coffee could be more than a morning pick-me-up, according to new research
A morning cup of coffee may do more than just perk you up, according to new research.
Trump's goal of mass deportations fell short. But he has new plans for a second term
Donald Trump has long pledged to deport millions of people, but he's bringing more specifics to his current bid for the White House: invoking wartime powers, relying on like-minded governors and using the military.
Pasquale Monaco says he’s debating whether to keep renting out the two-bedroom basement apartment of the Montreal building he owns after it was flooded — again — in August, when the remnants of tropical storm Debby sent four feet of water rushing into the space.
Childhood sleep issues may raise suicide risk, study finds
If your child sometimes has trouble sleeping, it may be easy to chalk it up to a phase they will grow out of one day. But a new study suggests possible serious consequences for this line of thought — such as a higher risk for suicidal ideation or attempts when they are older.
'Imminent catastrophe': Hezbollah hits back with more than 100 rockets across a wider and deeper area of Israel
Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets early Sunday across a wider and deeper area of northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa, as Israel launched hundreds of strikes on Lebanon. The sides appeared to be spiraling toward all-out war following months of escalating tensions.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.