On March 8, 2024, the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) provided Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with the Special Report on Foreign Interference in Canada's Democratic Processes and Institutions (redacted pdf). On June 3, NSICOP tabled the report in Parliament. The document alleges that while "parliamentarians were unaware they were the target of foreign interference", others have been "wittingly assisting foreign state actors," though maybe not anybody currently in Parliament.

NSICOP is a cross-party group of MPs and Senators with the highest level of security clearance, chaired by Liberal MP David J. McGuinty and with members: 3 Senators (the Honourables Patricia Duncan, Marty Klyne, and Frances Lankin) and Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron, NDP MP Don Davies, Liberal MP Patricia Lattanzio, Conservative MPs Rob Morrison and Alex Ruff, and two Liberal MPs who ceased membership on Sept 17, 2023, Iqra Khalid and James Maloney. Some background: In 2021 and 2022, the Conservative Party blamed Chinese influence campaigns for the defeat in the 2021 federal election of as many as 9 Conservative candidates, with another 4 also targeted who weren't in competitive ridings. Media reported on a vast, orchestrated disinformation campaign by the People's Republic of China which included funding some federal candidates. At the time, CSIS said they "saw attempts at foreign interference, but not enough to have met the threshold of impacting electoral integrity". In March 2023, the Prime Minister asked the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) to conduct a review. NSIRA submitted its Review of the dissemination of intelligence on People's Republic of China political foreign interference, 2018-2023 to the Prime Minister a year later on March 5, 2024 and released a declassified version April 26 (pdf). Also in March 2023, Trudeau appointed an independent special rapporteur, former governor general David Johnston, to investigate. In June 2023, opposition MPs teamed up to pass an NDP motion to remove Johnston because he recommended against holding a public inquiry. In September 2023, the Government of Canada announced a public inquiry centering on "China, Russia and other foreign states or nonstate actors" interfering in the 43rd and 44th general elections. Public hearings began in January 2024. In April 2024, media reported that the People's Republic of China allegedly clandestinely paid "threat actors" in late 2018 or early 2019, who targeted 7 Liberal Party candidates and 4 Conservative Party candidates, with some apparently willing to co-operate in foreign interference and others apparently unaware of it. Additionally, international students may have been coerced by the PRC to vote for Independent (formerly Liberal) MP Han Dong, possibly without Dong's knowledge. P. 31 of the NSICOP redacted report talks about "a CSIS assessment on the degree to which an individual was implicated in these activities" but is silent on Dong's knowledge of them. India allegedly interfered in one race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, and the People's Republic of China allegedly interfered in two. Details were redacted from the NSICOP report. Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole believes interference played a role in his 2022 ouster as party leader. Trudeau told the inquiry that allegations that China would prefer a Liberal minority government is "very improbable," as Canada-China relations have soured due to the Huawei and Two Michaels incidents. Canada doesn't have a foreign influence registry, a tool used by the US to remove PRC "police stations" like the ones in Toronto and Vancouver. Trudeau wants to ensure such a registry not target diaspora groups. Bill C-70, dubbed the "Countering Foreign Interference Act," was introduced in early May, though universties say it could chill research partnerships. Back to the NSICOP report: The declassified, redacted version of the NSICOP Special Report mentions:

• "members of Parliament who worked to influence their colleagues on India's behalf and proactively provided confidential information to Indian officials." (p.24)
• a PRC "network had some contact with at least 11 candidates and 13 campaign staffers, some of whom appeared to be wittingly working for the PRC" (p. 26)
• "Member of Parliament wittingly provided information *** to a foreign state . . . a particularly concerning case of a then-member of Parliament maintaining a relationship with a foreign intelligence officer" (p.26)
• "an example of the PRC using intermediaries to provide funds likely to support candidates in the 2019 federal election, including two transfers of funds approximating $250,000 through a prominent community leader, a political staffer and then an Ontario member of Provincial Parliament. CSIS could not confirm that the funds reached any candidate." (pp.28-29).

Redacted are specific names. The classified version has now been read by the Prime Minister, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who all have top security clearances. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is refusing to go through the security clearance process to view the unredacted report, apparently so he won't be bound by the Security of Information Act. Bloc Québécois MP Jean-Denis Garon Mirabel said in debate that, "Agreeing to this security briefing means getting the information and the names. However, those who obtain the names are not allowed to disclose them, not allowed to talk about it and not allowed to act on this information. We are effectively being shut down." May said she was "vastly relieved" not to see disloyalty from current MPs, while Singh called those involved "traitors to the country," though he wouldn't confirm if he was referring to serving MPs, and slammed Trudeau for being "slow to act" and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre for ignoring claims of foreign interference within his party. Singh said the report named him as a target of interference, and that no NDP MPs are participants. Conservatives are calling for the names to be released but Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says that, in some cases, allegations are based on "uncorroborated or unverified" intelligence information. NSICOP chair McGuinty says the committee has revealed as much as they can without breaching the Security of Information Act, and it's the RCMP's responsibility to investigate the allegations. The Foreign Interference Commission public hearings will resume this autumn.

Zionist group claims antisemitism as McGill students advertise ‘revolutionary’ summer program at protest camp

A pro-Palestinian student encampment at a prominent Canadian university has announced a “revolutionary youth summer program” with posts featuring photos of masked, armed guerrillas reading communist literature, drawing criticism from a Canadian Zionist organization decrying what it said was metastasizing antisemitism.

The student group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill called for students to sign up for “revolutionary” trainings to be held on the university campus this month. Since April SPHR McGill has been occupying part of the Montreal campus to protest against Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.

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© Photograph: Instagram

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© Photograph: Instagram

GQ: "It's happening very fast," said Saurabh Netravalkar, the Team USA cricket player with the world-famous LinkedIn profile ... Several fans in attendance held up signs calling Kohli a god; one held up a sign asking Netravalkar for a job reference. Guardian: As it happened: USA beat Pakistan. The Athletic: So, for a son of Mumbai to inflict such a humiliating defeat on the old enemy was a case of Netravalkar - in the words of his younger sister Nidhi on social media - "making two countries happy". Times of India: Balancing his dual roles as a cricketer and a software engineer at Oracle, Netravalkar manages his demanding career alongside his sports commitments. Interviewed in cricbuzz: "I filed for a patent. It was an innovation algorithm that we had."

Cricinfo: After the Pakistan win, a screen grab of his Slack out-of-office message was all over social media. It said he would be away from work until June 17, when the group phase of the World Cup ends. Netravalkar is not thinking ahead to whether he might have to extend his leave of absence in case USA make it to the Super 8s... ...update on that: As of an hour ago, the USA have enough points so they can't be caught by Ireland, Canada or Pakistan in their group. This means the USA qualify, along with India, into the final group stage of the current World Cup: this also gives the USA automatic qualification for the same World Cup tournament in 2026, two years before cricket returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles. Saurabh is going to need to ask for an extension to WFWCM (Work From World Cup Matches).

The Toronto District School Board is investigating a recent ransomware attack that affected its testing environment. The Toronto board is Canada's largest school board, serving approximately 238,000 students across 600 schools in the city of Toronto. The board stated that it had taken immediate action and launched an investigation upon becoming aware of possible intrusion.

Toronto District School Board's Investigation Underway

The school board stated that the incident had affected its testing environment, which had been used to evaluate new technology and programs before being deployed on systems. The board's cybersecurity team had taken immediate action upon discovering the incident, securing systems and preserving data. The Toronto District School Board had notified details of the incident to the Toronto police and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. [caption id="attachment_77136" align="alignnone" width="2800"] Source: www.tdsb.on.ca[/caption] In its letter of notification sent to parents and guardians, the Toronto District School Board stated that it had launched an investigation with the aid of third-party experts to fully assess the nature and scope of the incident. This includes potential compromise of its networks or breach of sensitive personal information. [caption id="attachment_77137" align="alignnone" width="1770"] Source: www.tdsb.on.ca[/caption] The letter added, "If it is determined that any personal information has been impacted, we will provide notice to all affected individuals. We understand that news of a cyber incident is concerning, but please know that we are doing everything possible to learn more about what occurred and address this situation.

Impact Unknown; More Details Expected Soon

Despite the attack, the district school board's systems remained fully operational and functional. While only the school's testing environment had been affected, Humber College cybersecurity expert Francis Syms remained concerned over the incident, as personal information is sometimes used on test environments. He added that test environments are usually not secured by multifactor authentication, potentially making data easier to access. However, he admitted that he was not aware of the testing system being used, as he was not part of the investigation team. The Toronto District School Board did not clarify whether the testing environment or its data contained any personal information. Ryan Bird, a spokesperson from the school district board, disclosed to CityNews Toronto that the full extent of the breach was unknown, or if any personal data had been compromised in the attack, but further details would be revealed by the end of the day. The Cyber Express team has reached out to the Toronto District School Board for further details and investigation results, but no responses have been received as of yet. Toronto's cybersecurity defenders have observed an uptick in cyberattacks in recent years, from both financially-motivated hackers and 'hacktivists' disrupting public systems. Some attacks occur during sensitive times such as elections, global conflicts, or visits by foreign leaders. However, ransomware attacks remain the most common form of attacks. City officials have been working with several agencies to rebuild trust in the safety of public systems and services. Charles Finlay, Toronto resident and executive director at Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, had earlier stated to the Toronto Star, “I think the city has to be more forthcoming about what it is doing to ensure that those services are secure from cyber-attacks.” The City had witnessed several attacks on its public institutions such a Cl0p ransomware intrusion into the  City of Toronto's computer systems as well as an attack last year on the Toronto Public Library's computer systems. Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.

Three governments accuse Russia at G7 of ‘spreading lies’ relating to presidential election and EU referendum

The UK, US and Canada have accused Russia of a plot to interfere in Moldova’s presidential election and referendum on EU membership later this year.

In a pointed joint statement issued on the first day of the G7 summit in Italy, the three governments accused Russian actors of “spreading lies” and “seeking to undermine Moldovan democratic institutions” in a campaign of political interference stretching back years.

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© Photograph: Ioana Moldovan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Ioana Moldovan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The US, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Britain are gathering in Italy’s Puglia region

Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni has just arrived at the venue.

This is the scene at the Borgo Egnazia resort as G7 leaders are scheduled to begin arriving.

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© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Black bear apparently opened the vehicle by lifting door handle with its mouth, after breaking into same car last year

After a string of vehicle break-ins in a north Canadian town, local residents have identified the culprit: a black bear with a taste for upholstery foam.

Awoken by a noise near midnight on 11 June, Kayla Seward, who lives in the Ontario township of Larder Lake, went outside to investigate – and found the sleepy black bear locked inside her car.

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© Photograph: Marek Rybar/Alamy

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© Photograph: Marek Rybar/Alamy

US wants show of strength with planned sanctions for helping Russia, but group will also discuss migration, Middle East and AI

A dramatic expansion of entities exposed to US sanctions for helping the Russian economy and an EU-led $50bn loan to ease the financial burden on Ukraine will be at the centre of discussions at a summit of the leaders of wealthy G7 nations in Puglia, Italy, starting on Thursday.

The leaders, facing unprecedented challenges from discontented electorates, will be under heightened pressure to provide concrete results as their three days of discussion range across an interlinked agenda encompassing the war in Ukraine, migration, Africa, the Middle East, the climate crisis and harnessing artificial intelligence (AI).

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© Photograph: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters

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© Photograph: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters

The vessel, which sank off the coast of Canada in 1962, was used by the explorer on his final voyage to the continent

The wreck of the ship on which renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton died has been found off the coast of Labrador, Canada, searchers have announced.

Locating the Quest – a schooner-rigged steamship which sank on a 1962 seal hunting voyage – represents a last link to the “heroic age of Antarctic exploration”, said search leader John Geiger.

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© Photograph: Tore Topp

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© Photograph: Tore Topp

Cubs killed by cars earlier in the day before spooked Nakoda ran on to highway, where another vehicle struck her

National park staff in Canada are mourning the “devastating” loss of a rare white grizzly bear and her cubs after all three were killed in separate vehicle collisions on the same day.

The bear formally referred to as GBF178 but named Nakoda by locals had in recent months been spotted with her two cubs foraging on spring dandelions along a stretch of highway between Lake Louise and Yoho national parks.

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© Photograph: Parks Canada

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© Photograph: Parks Canada

Data watchdogs in UK and Canada to look at whether there were enough safeguards on personal information

• Business live – latest updates

The California genetic testing company 23andMe faces investigations by the data watchdogs of the UK and Canada over a security breach affecting nearly 7 million people last October.

Hackers who broke into the site gained access to personal information by using customers’ old passwords. In some cases the information accessed included family trees, birth years and geographic locations.

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© Photograph: Kristoffer Tripplaar/Alamy

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© Photograph: Kristoffer Tripplaar/Alamy

Destroyed artefacts in St Anne’s Anglican church include unique paintings by Group of Seven art collective

An early morning fire at a Toronto church has destroyed both a historic site and rare paintings by an acclaimed group of Canadian artists, leaving the city reeling from a “heartbreaking” loss.

Fire crews responded on Sunday to a blaze engulfing St Anne’s Anglican church, a national historic site in the city’s Little Portugal neighbourhood.

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© Photograph: Rene Johnston/Toronto Star/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Rene Johnston/Toronto Star/Getty Images

It turns out A.I. is surprisingly Canadian.

© Photo Illustration by The New York Times

KINGSTON — The federal government’s plan to replace the LaSalle Causeway’s bascule bridge with a temporary fixed span is “gravely concerning” and could have “devastating” effects on businesses that rely on the Rideau Canal. Read More

If you want to pop into a no-shame-no-blame-if-you-can't-do-it, trounce the rich boycott with heart, enjoy this continuing saga. Background below the fold. The Loblaws boycott was set to take place in May, but continues, and rumour has it that it's had an impact. Alt.grocery is up and running with crowdsourced information. (Reminds me of Vaccine Hunters.) Executives are posting replies to social media complaints on LinkedIn. Some folks are creating posters in satiric support -??? - of Galen Weston grocery overlord. Support for the boycott crosses political lines. And oh yes, there's swag for sale (one example of many.)

Background: Previously - Canada loves a homegrown oligarchy, Loblaw Companies (which owns multiple stores) owns about 30% of the Canadian grocery market. Shopper's Drug Mart, which is a pharmacy chain owned by Loblaw, also has about 30% of market share with the next largest pharmacy chain owning 7.7%. PC Financial is their financial wing, and claims to have about 3 million customers, which is roughly 7% of Canadians. Inflationary pressures as well as what's perceived (and I personally believe is often) predatory pricing (in patr based on charging suppliers for SKUs) has left Canadians with a sour taste in their mouths. The Reddit-based group Loblaws is out of control has been a core organizer. The tenor of the boycott is do what you can, no worries if you have to shop there, here are some tools to help. Anecdotally I was in the store across from the Loblaws store on the weekend and in line one of the people shopping struck up a conversation with me and turned our we were both boycotting - that led to about five other people saying they were too. We all high fived each other in solidarity. Grocery shopping hasn't been this much fun in a while.

China is increasingly targeting Canadian citizens and organizations through the scale and scope of its cyber operations, warned the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) in a cyber threat bulletin issued Monday. The Cyber Centre said China's cyber operations surpass other nation-state cyber threats in terms of volume, sophistication, and breadth of targeting. China's cyber threat actors have targeted a wide range of sectors in Canada, including all levels of government, critical infrastructure, and the Canadian research and development sector.

“The threat from China [to Canadian organizations] is very likely the most significant by volume, capability, and assessed intent. China-sponsored cyber threat actors will very likely continue targeting industries and technologies in Canada that contribute to the state’s strategic priorities.”

China Increasingly Targeting Canadians through Cyberespionage

Chinese cyber threat actors often operate under the directives of PRC intelligence services, targeting information that aligns with the national policy objectives of Beijing. This includes economic and diplomatic intelligence relevant to the PRC-Canada bilateral relationship and technologies prioritized in PRC's central planning, Canada said. Government of Canada networks have been compromised multiple times by Chinese actors, the Cyber Centre said. With all known compromises addressed, Chinese cyber threat actors still frequently conduct reconnaissance against federal networks, and other government organizations should be aware of the espionage risk. Last month, British Columbia, the westernmost province in Canada, reported facing multiple “sophisticated cybersecurity incidents” on government networks. Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth later told reporters that an unnamed state actor made three attempts to breach B.C. government networks. Chinese threat actors also target large datasets containing personal information for bulk data analysis and profiling, the Cyber Centre warned. Online services often collect personal information from their users to function. When personal information is exposed through data breaches or willingly released by the user, it can be used by cyber threat actors to facilitate identity theft or targeted fraud against the user. Cyber threat actors can collect financial details and social information, information on habits, health, and home security, and location and travel data. The targets include:

• Government entities at all levels, including federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous.
• Organizations or individuals in close partnership with government entities.
• Universities, labs, and technology companies involved in research and development of PRC-prioritized technologies.
• Individuals or organizations perceived as threats by the PRC, especially those advocating for Taiwan and Hong Kong independence and Chinese democracy.

[caption id="attachment_74511" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Source: Canadian National Threat Assessment Report 2023-24[/caption]

Elections, Critical Infrastructure Targeted

Canada recently revealed unsuccessful Chinese attempts to interfere in past elections too. Beijing has refuted these allegations but the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in an annual report warned of ongoing Chinese interference in Canadian political affairs, risking democratic integrity.

“Canada’s strong democratic institutions, advanced economy, innovative research sectors, and leading academic institutions make Canada an attractive target for cyber-enabled espionage, sabotage, and foreign influenced activities, all of which pose significant threats to Canada’s national security,” the report said.

The report identified China as a state-based threat conducting widespread cyberespionage across various sectors, including government, academia, private industry, and civil society organizations. The Cyber Centre also shares concerns with the U.S. about PRC cyber threat groups pre-positioning network access for potential attacks on North American critical infrastructure in case of conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

"The Cyber Centre assesses that the direct threat to Canada’s critical infrastructure from PRC state-sponsored actors is likely lower than that to U.S. infrastructure, but should U.S. infrastructure be disrupted, Canada would likely be affected as well due to interoperability and interdependence in the sectors of greatest concern."

Sectors of greatest concern include energy, telecommunications, and transportation. However, the prelude to the attacks on the provincial government networks also saw the targeting of the healthcare sector in the country, which makes it a cause of concern too. The first of the attacks in this sector was on the retail and pharmacy chain London Drugs, followed by a cyberattack on the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), which compromised its employee information and limited personal data.

Threat Tactics Detailed

PRC cyber threat actors are known for several sophisticated techniques, the report said:

• Co-opting compromised small office and home office (SOHO) routers to conduct activity and avoid detection.
• Using built-in network administration tools for malicious activity, blending into normal system traffic.
• Compromising trusted service providers to access client information or networks.
• Rapidly weaponizing and proliferating exploits for newly revealed vulnerabilities, posing a continuous risk.

Mitigating the Chinese Threat

The Cyber Centre advises the Canadian cybersecurity community, especially provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, to enhance their awareness and protection against PRC cyber threats. Recommended measures include:

1. Isolate Critical Infrastructure: Isolate critical components and services from the Internet and internal networks and test manual controls for operational continuity.
2. Increase Vigilance: Monitor networks for tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) reported by the Cyber Centre and partners. Focus on identifying and assessing unusual network behavior.
3. Restrict Movement: Pay attention to vulnerable entry points, such as third-party systems. Disable remote access from third-party systems during incidents.
4. Enhance Security Posture: Patch systems focusing on vulnerabilities identified by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Enable logging, deploy network and endpoint monitoring, and implement multi-factor authentication. Create and test offline backups.
5. Incident Response Plan: Have a cyber incident response plan and continuity of operations and communications plans ready and tested.

By adopting these measures, organizations can better defend against and mitigate PRC cyber threats, the report said.

The world needs more Leroy and Leroy

...and Leroy and Leroy and Leroy and Leroy And people still wonder why Canadians are the royalty of all things American entertainment media -- it's obviously in the Great White North genome...