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July 1, 2017 - No. 24
Canada at 150
Needs
Renewal
The Need to Build
Canada on the
New
Historical Basis
- Communist Party of Canada
(Marxist-Leninist) -
• Make Canada
a Factor for Peace,
Not War and Aggression!
- Windsor Peace Coalition -
Our Home on Native Land
• Indigenous Peoples Establish Gathering Place
on Parliament Hill
Militarization of
Canada's Ports and Promotion of
"Interoperability" with U.S.
War Fleet
• U.S. Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Arrives in Halifax
- Tony Seed -
What Rule by Police
Powers Looks Like
• Speak Out Against Police State
Measures
• Communications Security
Establishment Issues
Unacceptable Cyber Threat Assessment
- Anna Di Carlo -
• Briefing of Registered Political Parties on
Cyber Threats
• Information on What the Cyber
Threat Assessment Report Says
Canada at 150 Needs Renewal
The Need to Build Canada on the
New Historical Basis
- Communist Party of Canada
(Marxist-Leninist) -
PDF
Canada Day 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of
Confederation established by the Royal Proclamation of 1867. Today,
Canadians face the necessity to enact a new Constitution to
replace the one used to found Canada in the conditions that
prevailed in 1867. They need to provide Canada with a modern
constitution that abolishes the Royal Prerogative on which the
present Constitution is based. They need a constitution that
vests sovereignty in the people and gets rid of the police powers
which maintain privileges in lieu of rights.
A modern constitution for Canada is needed to end the
colonial injustice and old arrangements suffocating the
Indigenous peoples. Such a constitution must implement the
principle of nation-to-nation relations. It must recognize
Quebec's right to self-determination and recognize the rights of
citizens and residents by virtue of being human. It must provide
these rights with a guarantee and a modern political process and
forms of governance where members of the polity have a say and
control and practical means to hold to account those in
government.
A modern Canada and constitution are needed to stop the
nation-wrecking of those who have submitted the country to the
decision-making power and empire-building of foreign powers and
financial interests, supranational trade arrangements and
U.S.-led military alliances and wars. Canada needs independence
so Canadians can develop modern human relations amongst
themselves and with all humanity.
Canada needs a Constitution that recognizes the rights
of
all human persons by virtue of being human. It requires a modern
political process based on equal membership in the body politic.
The renewal of the political process is required so that citizens
and residents can directly decide the matters that concern them
and affect their lives, solve problems and take up in earnest the
humanizing of the social and natural environment.
Canada also needs an anti-war government that makes
Canada a
zone for peace and demands that problems in international relations are
solved without violence and war.
History calls on the peoples of Canada, Quebec and the
Indigenous peoples to establish modern arrangements amongst
themselves based on a free and equal union of sovereign entities.
The challenges are great but the present conditions beckon us all
to be up to the task to build a bright future where the rights of
all are guaranteed.
Let the working class constitute the nation and vest
sovereignty in the people with a modern constitution that builds
Canada on the new historical basis!
All Out to Build the New!
Make Canada a Factor for Peace,
Not War and Aggression!
- Windsor Peace Coalition -
  
July 1 is the 150th anniversary of the establishment of
the
Canadian confederation through Royal Proclamation. On this
occasion we encourage everyone to together affirm that we want
Canada to be a force for peace in the present and future, not an
instrument of colonial domination, war and empire as has been the
case for the last 150 years.
Since 1867 successive governments, whether Liberal or
Conservative, have negated the hereditary and other rights of
Indigenous peoples, placed Canada's territory, resources and
youth in the service of expeditionary wars, enforced colonial
arrangements and participated in the attempts to suppress Soviet
Russia in 1918, and in the suppression of the anti-colonial
movements of the peoples of India, Africa and other
countries fighting for independence and liberation.
First Canada participated in the service of the British
imperialists
and
their quest to maintain their empire. In World War II Canadians
joined the world's peoples to fight fascism, occupation
and militarism. Following this however Canada joined the U.S. in
launching the Cold War and, under the guise of fighting communism,
Canada became a willing instrument of the U.S. imperialists
through the aggressive military and political alliances NATO and
NORAD. This led to the suppression of the right to conscience at
home and the deployment of Canada's military to serve U.S. aims
abroad, beginning in Korea and most recently in Iraq and Syria as
well as Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
Today Canada has become so intertwined with the U.S.
project
for global domination that our military, natural resources and
territory are designated as part and parcel of the U.S.
"Homeland," which it controls and patrols through NORAD and other
North American police and military arrangements. Today the U.S.
is able to overtly wield its powers inside Canada against
Canadians and anyone else it views as a potential threat to its
striving for world domination.
Today the Prime Minister "celebrates" Canadian snipers
in
Iraq as they assassinate people from kilometres away under U.S.
command. The Minister of Defence brags about being the
"architect" of an operation led by the U.S. in Afghanistan which
killed thousands. The Foreign Minister "represents" Canada abroad
by openly interfering in the affairs of other countries, all the
while being "proud" of her Nazi collaborator grandfather.
 These people do not reflect
the personality of a modern
Canada but a continuation of Canada as a willing instrument of
war and empire.
In Canada we have the Indigenous nations who represent
the
best traditions of the anti-colonial and independence struggles
of the 19th and 20th centuries. They are joined by peace-loving
people from all over the world. All of us want a modern Canada
which upholds the best of the past and contributes to the
development of all peoples, not a Canada that upholds global
domination as a lofty goal.
Today, we want peaceful and fraternal relations with
all
nations and peoples both inside and outside of Canada's borders.
On the occasion of Canada 150, the Windsor Peace Coalition
encourages everyone to consider Canada's present and future and
take a bold stand together to discard all those arrangements
which put Canada in the position of facilitating and
participating in war and aggression.
Our Home on Native Land
Indigenous Peoples Establish Gathering Place
on Parliament Hill
Indigenous youth lit a sacred fire at the gathering
place on
Parliament Hill on the eve of July 1, Canada Day. They are
calling on all nations to join them on July 1 in a great
affirmation of their right to be. The fire will burn until the
end of their ceremonies after July 1.
The fire was lit after all those who came to join the
Indigenous Reoccupation linked arms and formed a wall to defend
the teepee and the fasting youth from potential police attack.
More people came from other areas of Parliament Hill to see the
ceremony take place. Due to the outpouring of support the police
were unable to stop the fire from being lit.
Throughout the day as people from all walks of life
visited
Parliament hundreds visited the gathering place and teepee to
give their enthusiastic support to the initiative which raises
the banner of Indigenous rights on the occasion of Canada 150.
Hundreds stopped to photograph and have their photo taken with
the banner Our Home on Native Land. Many stopped to listen
attentively to the stories of those taking part in the
ceremony.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the gathering
place on
the morning of June 30 with a huge entourage of media,
photographers and security. Inside the teepee, one of the youth
from Sault Ste Marie, Candace Day Neveau thanked the Prime
Minister for coming and responded that, "We're going to be here,
and we're not going to back down any more as Indigenous people.
We are going to be constantly asserting our inherent right.
Moving forward as a young leader, I'm here to say that we're
going to be holding you accountable."
Tens of thousands are expected on Parliament Hill for
July 1.
The sacred fire will continue to burn and all are encouraged to
go and show their support throughout the day.
Day One -- Gathering Place Established
The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) hails
the
Indigenous youth from Sault Ste Marie including the Bawating
Water Protectors who, despite being assaulted by police who tried
to block them, succeeded in erecting their teepee on the east
side of Parliament Hill at 2:00 am on June 29.
The youth were joined by members of other nations as
well as Canadians and Quebeckers who steadfastly defended their action
to establish a gathering place on Parliament Hill. The action started
with a rally at the Human Rights Monument and a march. The people
finally succeeded in establishing a beachhead inside the gates to
Parliament Hill despite police attack, nine arrests and an hours-long
standoff. All those arrested were released later in the night once the
RCMP and Parliament Hill police backed off from their confrontation.
The establishment of the
gathering place marks the beginning
of four days of ceremony and fasting led by the youth affirming
their sovereignty and rights. They are also rejecting the
glorification of the Canadian state and its colonial relations
with Indigenous peoples embodied in the $500 million Canada 150
commemorations. CPC(M-L) calls on all those who go to
Parliament to visit the teepee, pay respects to the just cause of
Canada's Indigenous peoples, and ensure the success of the
gathering place.
Day Two -- Gathering Place Moved to North West Corner
of Lawn
The gathering place and teepee established by
Indigenous women and youth on Parliament Hill has now been moved onto a
main area west of the big stage set up for state-organized Canada 150
events. It was relocated on the evening of June 29 following all-day
negotiations with the RCMP and will remain there through July 1.
The teepee was originally placed just inside the gates
to Parliament Hill on the night of June 28. It was established thanks
to the determination of Indigenous women and youth and supporters to
establish the Indigenous presence on the Hill. They prevailed despite
state-organized violence by the police that night.
This gathering place stands as a testament to the
determination to affirm the right to be of Indigenous peoples in
the face of the perpetuation of colonial relations and the
negation of hereditary rights by the federal government. In the
name of reconciliation and righting historical wrongs, the ruling
circles are intent on bringing the past into the present so as to
achieve the same genocidal results.
On the occasion of Canada 150 celebrations, events
across the
country are rejecting the glorification of the dispossession of
the Indigenous peoples. The government is spending $500 million
on celebrations and many frivolous projects. But the Indigenous
peoples across the country are organizing initiatives in defence
of their rights. They are joined by Canadians and Quebeckers from
all walks of life who are also fighting for a modern Canada which
upholds peace and the dignity of labour.
Militarization of Canada's Ports and
Promotion of
"Interoperability" with U.S. War Fleet
U.S. Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Halifax
- Tony Seed -
"The U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier USS Dwight D
Eisenhower and two support ships are arriving today," the Halifax Examiner
reported on June 28. "The Pilotage
Authority says the aircraft carrier will be parked at Anchorage
#1, which is just north of McNab's Island, but I've also been
told that the ship will be anchored south of the island, near
[Canadian Forces Base] Shearwater, so we'll see, I guess. The other
ships will berth at
the Dockyard," the reporter wrote.
This is how the Trudeau Liberals are celebrating the
150th
anniversary of Confederation -- with the militarization of
Canada's ports and the promotion of "interoperability" with the
U.S. war fleet.
From top to bottom, the USS Dwight
D. Eisenhower, the USS Winston
S.
Churchill and the
HMCS Moncton conduct what the
U.S. Navy terms a photo exercise,
on the way to Halifax, June 27, 2017.
Throughout the past 150 years, the U.S. military
has developed
extensive and detailed planning for the invasion and conquest of
Canada. A 1924 draft stated: "Blue [U.S.] intentions are to hold
in perpetuity all Crimson [Canadian] and Red [British]
territories gained. The policy will be to prepare the provinces
and territories of Crimson and Red to become states and
territories of the Blue Union upon the declaration of peace. The
Dominion government will be abolished..."[1]
These plans were codified in War Plan Red which was not
a
document to be confined to a drawer. In 1934, amendments to the
plan were approved by the U.S. Secretary of War and Secretary of
the Navy authorizing the destruction of Halifax, Montreal and Quebec
City by "Immediate air operations on as large a scale as
practicable" and authorizing the immediate first-use of poison
gas against Canadians in order to "increase our advantages and
hasten the successful ending of the war."
The U.S. Army and Navy War Colleges
continued working on invasion plans of Canada until at least 1939. For
example, for
an "Overseas Expeditionary Force to Capture Halifax from
Red-Crimson Coalition" (Red Britain, Crimson Canada), was
part of War Plan Red. During and after World War II, occupation has
continued from within, through annexation and now
"integration."
Map of War Plan Red -- click to enlarge.
As recently as 1983, the Pentagon designated Canadian
Forces
Base Shearwater, which combines an airfield and a naval berth for
U.S. nuclear submarines, as a forward deployment base for the
"defence" of the U.S. heartland. U.S. military forces carried out
innumerable exercises within and outside the harbour of Halifax,
including the rehearsal of the illegal mining of the harbour of
Nicaragua ("Operation Minex"), which was condemned by the
International Court at the Hague. Shearwater is also the base for the
Rapid Reaction Force launched under the Harper regime.
The Chilean sailing ship La Esmeralda has
also
arrived once again in Halifax as part of the "tall ships" spectacle. In
2015, the Guardian, a newspaper published in Britain, reported
that during the Pinochet years La Esmeralda was a
torture prison:
"A series of human rights reports, including those by
the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organisation of
American States, Amnesty International, the U.S. Senate and the
Chilean Truth and Reconciliation Commission, record that in the
autumn of 1973 the ship was used to detain and torture victims of
the Pinochet regime, who included a British-Chilean priest,
Father Michael Woodward.
 "They detail how the vessel
was berthed in the port of
Valparaíso, following Augusto Pinochet's coup d'état. A
1986 U.S.
Senate report suggested that as many as 112 people were detained,
of whom 40 were women. Rape, the use of electric shocks, mock
executions and beatings were reportedly used on the ship. Also on
board was Woodward, who, having been tortured onshore, was taken
off the vessel for treatment at a naval hospital, but died of his
injuries in transit. His remains are allegedly buried in a mass
grave under a road.
"Claudio Correa, a former Chilean government official
who
lives in London, was held on the ship with Woodward. He told the Observer
that he was transferred from a military
academy
to La Esmeralda where
specialist teams were employed to torture
its occupants over several days. 'They tortured people with no
sentiment,' he said. 'They were enjoying it.'
"A Facebook campaign has been set up urging people to
protest
against the vessel's arrival in London and other European ports.
One protester called Carolita explains that its continued use
'reaffirms the Chilean navy's lack of respect for human rights
and lack of remorse for actions that have been condemned around
the world,' adding that 'it is unjust to expect victims to
forgive and forget when the perpetrators do not express regret
and remorse.'"[2]
While the Examiner aptly expressed concern
about the
Chilean torture ship parading as a "tall ship," the arrival of
the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower,
which the media present as a "floating city," is presented as
admirable. Lest we forget, a U.S. fleet was stationed off the
Chilean coast throughout the 1973 coup d'état under the pretext
of an annual exercise code-named UNITAS, in which the Canadian
navy also participates.
Notes
1. Richard Preston, The
Defence of
the Undefended Border: Plans for War in North America, 1867-1939.
2. Tim
Bousquet,
"The
Shipping
News:
Morning
File,
Wednesday,
June
28,
2017,"
Halifax
Examiner, June 28, 2017.
What Rule by Police Powers Looks Like
Speak Out Against Police State Measures
Demonstration against Harper government's Bill C-51 Anti-Terrorism Act
in Ottawa,
March 14, 2015, one of more than 70 actions which took place
that day across the country.
On June 20, the Trudeau government tabled before
Parliament
Bill C-59, an Act respecting national security matters.
The 150-page bill proposes new draconian powers for intelligence
agencies such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
(CSIS) and Communications Security Establishment (CSE) to enforce
a police state.
The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)
(registered
for electoral purposes as the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada)
issued a statement on June 22 which addresses the different
measures and secret police powers the government seeks to
legalize. It concludes that Bill C-59 is even more dangerous than
the Harper-era Bill C-51 which the Trudeau Liberals have
announced they will not rescind, despite the demands of Canadians
from coast to coast to coast.
TML Weekly is providing below a link to
CPC(M-L)'s statement and urges readers to inform themselves about this
development. Measures in Bill C-59 include further strengthening
the "disruption" and surveillance powers of CSIS, undoing the
formal prohibition on CSE collecting and storing information on
Canadians and giving CSE broad powers to conduct both "offensive"
and "defensive" cyber attacks. According to the Liberals, those
who are engaged in "activities against the constitutionally
established system of government in Canada" are fair game to be
targeted.
Worrisome too is the pretense of the government that
these
measures will be exercised under civilian control, oversight and
accountability. These secret police powers are by definition
above the rule of law. The Trudeau government's goal of
legalizing such activities in Bill C-59 in the face of Canadians'
opposition to Bill C-51 and similar laws shows that the civil
power is subordinate to the police authority. This is what a
police state looks like.
Read the statement of CPC(M-L): All Out to Oppose
the
Trudeau Government's Police State Bill C-59!
Communications Security Establishment Issues
Unacceptable
Cyber Threat Assessment
- Anna Di Carlo -
 Four days before Bill C-59,
An Act respecting national security matters, was
tabled in the House of Commons on June 20, the
Communications Security Establishment (CSE) issued its report Cyber
Threats to Canada's Democratic Process, on June 16. The Ministry of
Democratic Institutions which commissioned the report, describes it as
"the first threat assessment of this kind to be shared with the
public." With this report, cyber threats and allegations of foreign
interference in the electoral process have been officially added to the
arsenal of disinformation against the striving of Canadians for
empowerment.
The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist),
registered
as the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada for electoral purposes,
goes on record to oppose the conclusions reached in the CSE
report and the use of police powers to monitor elections and to
interfere in what is called the democratic process which the
report seeks to justify.
The orientation laid out in the report creates a
scenario
where the political opinions of Canadians stand to be tarnished
with allegations of foreign influence. This is done by declaring
that because Canada is a country tied to NATO and the G7
and the policies that serve both the military alliance and the
financial oligarchy of the G7 member states, any opinion that
opposes them therefore opposes Canada. These policies are a
matter of concern to, and opposed by, many Canadians and their
entrenchment in police security concerns cannot be accepted.
There are many such statements in the report. For
instance,
the report states: "To date, we have not observed nation-states
using cyber capabilities with the purpose of influencing the
Canadian democratic process during an election. We assess that
whether this remains the case in 2019 will depend on how
nation-state adversaries perceive Canada's foreign and domestic
policies over the next two years, and on the spectrum of policies
espoused by Canadian federal candidates in 2019."
Is the CSE suggesting that if there is a greater
"spectrum"
of policies in the 2019 election, the cyber threat will increase?
Or, in what amounts to the same thing -- the smaller the spectrum,
the lesser the threat? Given its characterization of Canada as a
member of NATO and the G7, is it saying that electoral campaigns
calling for Canada's withdrawal from NATO and pro-social policies
not in keeping with the neo-liberal anti-social agenda of the G7
are the source of potential cyber attacks?
The CSE also states "cyber threats and influence
operations
are often successful because they take advantage of deeply rooted
human behaviours and social patterns, and are not merely
technological vulnerabilities. Defending Canada's democratic
process against cyber threats and related influence operations
requires addressing both the technical and social elements of the
problem."
This leads to a question that is troubling to Canadians
who
are concerned about the increasing use of surveillance and police
powers against their right to conscience, freedom of association
and freedom of speech, as well as privacy rights and right to
live in peace, amongst others. What precisely is the CSE
referring to when it expresses concern about "deeply rooted human
behaviours and social patterns?" And what precisely does it mean
to "address social elements of the problem."
CPC(M-L) participates in elections and on a daily basis
it
works to involve Canadians in political affairs. It takes
ideo-political stands, such as its demand for withdrawal from
NATO, that would appear to fall into the category of what the CSE
suggests are views held by "adversaries of the Canadian
democratic process."
The CSE report states that it is addressing the threat
to
Canada's democratic process. However, it is not at all clear what
it means by Canada's democratic process or why it thinks it is
under threat. By democratic process is surely meant the right of
the people of a country to determine their own affairs, to decide
for themselves what government they want and the domestic and
foreign policies they wish their country to pursue. This includes
considerations such as Canada's membership in NATO and the
government's adherence to the neo-liberal, anti-social policies
of the G7.
Is the CSE report saying that Canada is a member of the
G7
and a member of NATO by virtue of some immutable characteristic,
like Canada's position in the North American continent, and not
by virtue of the political choice of current and past
governments? It seems to be saying that because Canada is a
member of the G7 and a member of NATO with a given set of allies,
what is good for these alliances is what is good for the Canadian
people and the CSE must protect this good. The end result is that
Canadians have to abide by this if they are not to be considered
"adversaries."
 The way the report is
written, it follows that those
who are
opposed to Canada's membership in NATO, those who are opposed to
the neo-liberal policies which distinguish the governments of the
member nation-states of the G7, stand to be the targets of
suspicion for conducting "influence operations" opposed to the
interests of Canada.
If this is indeed what the CSE is saying then it is of
concern not just to CPC(M-L) and any political party or candidate
who advocates that NATO be dismantled and that G7 is no good for
Canada. It is a matter of concern for all Canadians.
The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau is covering up
what
it is really up to with this cyber threats agenda. At a press
briefing on the CSE report, the Minister of Democratic
Institutions Karina Gould managed to shed no light on the issue
whatsoever. "We take cyber threats to our democracy very
seriously, and today is a critical step in defending our
democracy from those who would threaten us," she said. In a
related press release, the Ministry states that it will build "a
culture of citizen literacy to give people the tools, skills and
opportunities they need to fully participate in our democratic
life." This seems to suggest that good cyber security knowledge
is central to the exercising of democratic rights.
Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan added that
"The
CSE has applied their unique expertise to produce this thorough
and insightful assessment of the threats to our democratic
institutions. I encourage all Canadians to read and follow CSE's
advice on basic cyber practices as there are many simple steps
that can benefit us all."
CPC(M-L) calls on Canadians to inform themselves about
this
report and speak out against the unacceptable conclusions it
draws and against the activity of the Trudeau government to
permit the security establishment to interfere in the electoral
process in the name of high ideals.
Briefing of Registered Political Parties
on Cyber Threats
On June 20, the Privy Council of the Government of
Canada
convoked a meeting of registered political parties advising that
it wished to have the Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
brief them on "best practices in cyber security." Twelve of the 16
federally registered political parties were present,
including the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist). The
invitation to the meeting was issued just days before the CSE
released its report entitled "Cyber Threats to Canada's
Democratic Process."
The meeting was addressed by Scott Jones, Assistant
Deputy
Minister (Information Technology Security) who was accompanied by
two CSE staff members. He presented a brief overview of the
contents of the CSE's cyber threat assessment, along with very
well-known and elementary advice related to cyber security, such
as "use different passwords for different accounts" and "back up
your data in case you are hit by ransom-ware."
During the meeting, participants raised several
questions and
comments challenging the CSE report and its conception of the
danger posed to the democratic process. One party pointed out
that all of the cyber threat objectives described by the CSE are
typically carried out by the competing political parties
themselves, not by foreign adversaries. For example, to suggest
that discrediting electoral opponents and the electoral process
itself falls into the category of activities carried out by
foreign agents is ludicrous to say the least.
 It was also pointed out
that as far as the Canadian
experience goes, the 2011 Robocall Scandal is notably absent from
the CSE's report. In that instance, the Conservative Party's
Constituency Information Management System was used to make
robocalls telling non-Conservative voters to go to the
wrong polling stations. The CSE was asked why this danger to the
democratic process was not raised in the report.
The CSE said it only deals with foreign threats. This
prompted the question: If the CSE's focus is foreign interference,
what is its approach to foreign political marketing companies
which are hired by political parties to run their electoral
campaigns? These foreign agencies extensively use voter databases and
are known to carry out many of the dirty-ops cited in its threat
assessment, such as using networks of remotely controlled computers
("botnets") to create an artificial image of certain politicians or
certain policies having broad public support. The number of such
corporations which go from country to country conducting election
campaigns is very small. They base their manipulation of elections on
state-of-the-art microtargeting techniques and specialize in things
like "attack ads" and the promotion of disinformation.
The CSE answered that it is not concerned about
foreigners
who are hired by Canadian political parties.
The CSE was also asked to explain what it means when it
links
the likelihood of cyber attack in the 2019 Federal Election with
"the spectrum of policies espoused by Canadian federal candidates
in 2019." This question was deferred to a representative of the
CSE who quickly stated that it was in no way intending to suggest
that there should not be a broad diversity of opinions and
positions presented during the federal election, even though this
was not the question posed. The question remained unanswered.
In regards to what the CSE means when it says it must
address
not only the technological but also the "social element of the
problem," and "deeply rooted human behaviours and social
patterns," the representatives of the CSE stated it only means to
point out that people have to make sure they use secure
passwords, don't open potentially harmful links, and generally
practice good cyber hygiene.
The CSE was also asked why it chose to define Canada in
terms of its membership in NATO and the G7. Jones stated that since
this was the
policy of the current Canadian government, this is the government
and policies that it must defend. If another government espouses
different policies, then it is duty-bound to defend those.
Information on What the Cyber Threat
Assessment Report Says
The Canadian Security Establishment (CSE) released its
report "Cyber Threats to Canada's Democratic Process" on June 16, 2017
in response to the request of the Minister of Democratic Institutions.
In explaining how it formed its assessment about cyber
threats to the democratic process, the CSE states that its
"key judgements" are based on classified information that cannot be
divulged in this unclassified document. The intelligence comes from
"a body of reporting from multiple sources" and "CSE's knowledge
and expertise in foreign intelligence and cyber security."
According to Scott Jones, Assistant Deputy Minister (Information
Technology Security), the unclassified assessment is the only one
in existence. "There is no classified version of this report," he
stated.
 The CSE report states that while
there are a "wide
range of
cyber threats to Canadian political and electoral activities" at
all levels of government, the report focuses primarily on the
federal level and it does not provide "an exhaustive list of
cyber capabilities or the way that adversaries could deploy them"
because such a study would "take chapters to catalogue."
The assessment focuses on three aspects of the
democratic
process: "1) elections; 2) political parties and politicians; and
3) the media." It makes note that these three aspects of the
democratic process are all protected by the Canadian
Constitution, seeing fit to affirm that Canadians enjoy "the
right to freedom of expression and belief -- including allowing
citizens to freely engage, challenge and propagate ideas in
public."
It goes on to say that "For democracy to work citizens
need
to trust that the process is fair, that politicians are not
beholden to foreign or criminal interests, and that the media is
not influenced by foreign or criminal interests attempting to
sway voters and the outcome of the democratic process."
When it comes to the elections component of the
democratic
process, the CSE states that cyber attacks might "prevent voters from
registering online, prevent citizens from voting, tamper with the
election results, steal voter database(s)."
For political parties and politicians, their websites
and
email may come under attack. Adversaries may "conduct cyber espionage
against a political target, embarrass or
discredit a political target, blackmail a political target, steal
voter or party member database."
In regards to both traditional and social media, the
threat
is manipulation "to influence the political discussion and/or
reduce trust in the democratic process."
Who Are the Adversaries
The CSE describes "adversaries" as "any state,
group, or
individuals who have used or might use cyber capabilities to
threaten or influence Canada's democratic process." "Strategic
threats" are those where "adversaries intentionally set out to
covertly influence a democratic process." "Incidental threats"
are those where the outcome of an election is affected as "an
unintended consequence." Incidental threats come from adversaries
who "often simply cast a wide net, hoping to exploit an insecure
network or database to earn some money or for the thrill of
it."
The CSE report says that it has examined cyber attacks
worldwide in the past ten years and has identified six types of
adversaries who might do the same in Canada. These are:
"1. Nation-states ... motivated by economic,
ideological,
and/or geopolitical interests.
"2. Hacktivists ... motivated by ideological issues.
"3. Cyber criminals ... motivated by financial profit.
"4. Terrorist groups ... motivated by violent extremist
ideologies.
"5. Political actors ... motivated by winning political
power
domestically.
"6. Thrill-seekers ... individuals seeking reputational
or
personal satisfaction from successful hacking."
Goal of the Adversaries
The CSE poses the question: "Why do
nation-states use
cyber capabilities to influence democratic processes of foreign
countries?"
It identifies the immediate goal as reducing trust in
the
democratic process and affecting the popularity or vote counts of
candidates. The mid-term goal is to "push policy in preferred
directions; disrupt international alliances that pose a threat;
weaken leaders that pose a threat." The strategic goal is to
promote economic, geopolitical and ideological core
interests.
Why Target Canada's Democratic Process?
There are many ways that Canada might be
described in
regards to its democratic process. In a section of its assessment
entitled "Why Target Canada's Democratic Process," the CSE chose
to describe Canada as "a G7 country, a NATO member, and an
influential member of the international community." Consequently,
the CSE states: "the choices that the Canadian federal government
makes about military deployment, trade and investment agreements,
diplomatic statements, foreign aid, or immigration are
influential and impactful."
Government decisions, it says, affect "Canada's allies,
and
the core interests of other countries, foreign groups, and
individuals." In addition, it notes that governments at all
levels determine spending and make laws that "affect tens of
millions of Canadians, and in some cases (e.g., regarding resource
extraction) affect foreign interests as well."
Thus, the cyber threat comes from adversaries
"attempting to
further their core interests, which typically consist of national
security, economic prosperity, and ideological goals."
Furthermore, the CSE reports that nation-states may use cyber
threats "as a show of force to deter other nation-states."
In the same vein, the CSE says that "adversaries" may
try to
"change Canadian election outcomes, policymakers' choices,
governmental relations with foreign and domestic partners, and
Canada's reputation around the world." In addition, they may seek
to "delegitimize the concept of democracy and other values such
as human rights and liberty, which may run counter to their own
ideological views of the world."
Vulnerability of Canada's Democratic Process
The CSE report goes on to detail and assess
the
particular ways in which the electoral process, politicians and
political parties, and the media might be targeted.
It assesses that the risks are highest where the voting
process has been more computerized, and less so in cases where
registration and voting are in paper-based systems. In all cases, the
CSE states, "the aim is to embarrass election agencies and sow
doubt amongst voters, while it can also lead to a delayed voting
process and potential voter suppression." "It is also possible
that the voter database -- potentially containing millions of
personal identity records -- could be stolen, resulting in a
massive breach of privacy," it warns.
The CSE assesses that because Canada's federal
elections are
largely paper-based, and Elections Canada has measures in place
to mitigate cyber threats, "it is nearly certain that, regarding
Canada's democratic process... political parties, and the media
are more vulnerable than the elections themselves."
It warns that parties and politicians face the danger
of
activities that blackmail, embarrass or discredit them.
"Adversaries may try to obtain damaging information to gain
control over individuals and/or sway public opinion against
them." The CSE says that this could have an impact not only in a
given election, but over the long term "qualified candidates may
decide that running for public office is simply not worth the
potential negative effect on their personal life and
reputation."
It also predicts that adversaries might steal or alter
the
party and voter databases either to fetch a price, or by
sabotaging and rendering the data bases unuseable in an election.
"If adversaries targeted a political party with this activity, it
could impact the election campaign by denying the party a
valuable tool used for voter outreach and engagement."
 The threat to the media is
described as one that would
manipulate traditional and social media so as "to influence the
political discussion and/or reduce trust in the democratic
process."The CSE also cites the use of "troll farms" and "botnets" to
spread propaganda and artificially create the image of a public
consensus in support of a particular view. It notes, in this regard,
that 22.4 million Canadians access Facebook daily and 51 per cent get
their news from digital sources.
Other forms of cyber threats are outlined, such as
Distributed Denial of Service to sabotage the ability of a
political party to respond to legitimate requests. Other examples
are defacing a political party's website, or "spear-phishing" to
take control of a computer. Ransomware is also outlined as
a threat to political parties and candidates.
The report provides two "case studies." One involves
the
swaying of public opinion against a candidate: "The adversary's
plan is to influence voters' opinions by injecting disinformation
into social media. In another case, cyber espionage is used
against a candidate and the information provided to the
candidate's rival."
CSE's Assessment of the Current and Future Threat
to the
Canadian Democratic Process
Following its review of potential cyber
threats and what has been seen internationally, the CSE comes to
assessing the particular threat level to Canada. It notes that in the
2015 Federal Election, there was "low-sophistication cyber threat
activity." This refers to the release by the hacking collective
Anonymous of a Privy Council document about diplomatic centres in
Britain being redeveloped and government cost overruns. The CSE does
not refer to the 2011 Robocall Scandal. In that instance, the
Conservative Party's Constituency Information Management System was
used to identify non-Conservative voters and target them with robocalls
directing them to the wrong polling stations.
In this regard, even though the CSE claims to only be
concerned with foreign cyber attacks, it does have an assessment
of the potential for domestically perpetrated cyber attacks. It
states that experience outside of Canada shows that "corrupt
political actors use cyber capabilities to influence their domestic
democratic processes." It predicts that given "the prevalence of
cyber capabilities and the advantages they confer, it is likely
that political actors outside Canada will increasingly avail
themselves of these capabilities to shape their political
fortune." The CSE concludes that since Canada "ranks low in
corruption," domestically perpetrated cyber attacks are "far more
likely to be seen elsewhere."
The CSE says that while "nation-states are constantly
deploying cyber capabilities to gain access to Government of
Canada networks and the communications of federal government
officials," it has not yet observed "nation-states using cyber
capabilities with the purpose of influencing the Canadian
democratic process during an election." For the future, it
states: "We assess that whether this remains the case in 2019
will depend on how nation-state adversaries perceive Canada's
foreign and domestic policies over the next two years, and on the
spectrum of policies espoused by Canadian federal candidates in
2019."
Finally, the CSE states that while cyber threats can be
mitigated by technical security methods and best practices,
"cyber threats and influence operations are often successful
because they take advantage of deeply rooted human behaviours and
social patterns, and are not merely technological
vulnerabilities.... Defending Canada's democratic process against
cyber threats and related influence operations requires
addressing both the technical and social elements of the
problem."
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