Title: Task Force Reports on Foreign Interference in Elections

OTTAWA — A government task force has released a report indicating that while foreign interference in Canada’s most recent election was minimal, future attempts may become more sophisticated. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force published its findings on Thursday, assessing the impact of foreign interference during the last federal election.

The report highlights ongoing concerns about foreign interference, particularly from the Chinese government. It warns that as public awareness of these issues grows, foreign actors may adapt their strategies to evade detection. "Due to an increase in public awareness and scrutiny of foreign interference, threat actors likely adapted their tradecraft to further conceal their activity, making it even more challenging to detect," the report states.

The task force has been monitoring election campaigns since 2019, looking for signs of foreign interference. It reports its findings to a panel of five senior bureaucrats who decide whether to make the information public. This panel includes high-ranking officials from various government departments, such as the Privy Council and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

During the 2025 election, which resulted in a minority Liberal government led by Mark Carney, the panel did not issue any public warnings about foreign interference. The report describes the interference attempts as "small scale" and often difficult to trace back to specific foreign actors.

Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who led a public inquiry into foreign interference, recommended that the panel increase its communication with the public during elections. She suggested that even minor incidents should be reported to maintain transparency. Hogue also proposed adding a sixth member to the panel, someone with public credibility who could address election interference issues.

The task force did appoint a candidate for this position, but the selection did not receive the necessary approval from all political parties. "The panel’s decision was that it needed to be based on consensus of all political parties, and that wasn’t achieved in the time leading up to the election," said Laurie Kempton, head of government communications.

In response to the growing concerns, the task force held weekly media briefings during the recent campaign to inform the public about potential foreign interference. These briefings included warnings about targeted interference against Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative candidate Joe Tay, a Hong Kong democracy activist. Tay faced social media attacks linked to the Chinese government, particularly on the WeChat platform.

Kempton noted that the initial efforts to interfere were small but escalated as awareness grew. "It started to move to other platforms and there was an increase in the number of messages and an increase in the awareness of it as it was amplified," she said.

The task force also engaged with social media companies regarding disinformation during the campaign. However, the report indicates that many platforms have reduced their election protection measures compared to previous elections. "Some social media platforms that are widely used by Canadians had significantly redacted their election protection efforts, which may have contributed to an online information space more conducive to foreign information manipulation and interference," the report concluded.

The task force remains active and continues to meet regularly to prepare for future elections, ensuring that they are vigilant against potential foreign interference.