China, Russia spying on governments, businesses in Canada’s Arctic, CSIS director warns

Spies from China and Russia have a significant interest in Canada’s Arctic and those developing its potential, Canadian Security Intelligence Service director Dan Rogers warns.

In a speech Thursday on threats facing Canada, Rogers said it’s no surprise CSIS has seen foreign intelligence collection efforts in the region targeting both governments and the private sector.

“Non-Arctic states, including the People’s Republic of China, seek to gain a strategic and economic foothold in the region,” Rogers said. “Russia, an Arctic state with a significant military presence in the region, remains unpredictable and aggressive.”

Rogers said CSIS is engaging with Indigenous, Arctic and northern partners across Canada to bring them up to speed on what the spy service has seen and to learn from their insights.

For example, he said, CSIS has provided Inuit and territorial governments with information to help them take national security into account as they make decisions about business and research opportunities with foreign companies and investors.