Canadian security agencies face mounting scrutiny over transnational repression risks as foreign actors target diaspora communities and political exiles.
Intelligence Frameworks and High-Profile Threats
Canada’s national security framework expressly recognizes the threat posed by foreign states to individuals, including diaspora members, and how these foreign actions interfere with fundamental rights. According to Freedom House, foreign threats are monitored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and Global Affairs Canada. The Canadian government identifies the most significant national security risks as terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, organized crime, cyber threats, espionage, and foreign interference.
These security risks have manifested in high-profile international cases. In August 2020, former top Saudi intelligence official Saad Aljabri filed a lawsuit in a US district court alleging that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a team of mercenaries to Canada to kill him. According to the complaint, Canadian border agents at the Ottawa International Airport thwarted the assassination plan by refusing entry to a group of Saudi men who lied about knowing each other. Around the time of the lawsuit, Aljabri received extra security from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at his home in Toronto. Canadian authorities noted that they are aware of foreign actors attempting to monitor, intimidate, or threaten individuals living in the country.
Diaspora Vulnerabilities and Law Enforcement Gaps
While approximately 22 percent of Canada’s population is foreign-born and the country has welcomed over a million refugees since 1980, activists point to significant gaps in enforcement. Freedom House reports that although there have been no confirmed incidents of physical transnational repression to date, threats from foreign governments have menaced members of Canada’s large Chinese, Rwandan, Pakistani, Egyptian, Iranian, and Syrian diasporas. Mechanisms to report individual threats are inadequate, leaving targeted individuals disappointed by the lack of response from law enforcement.
While Canada’s foreign interference inquiry called for training the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on recognizing transnational repression, this recommendation did not extend to local law enforcement agencies that often serve as the first point of contact during an emergency.
Legislative Responses and Foreign Interference Inquiries
The Canadian government initiated a public inquiry into foreign interference in 2024 that devoted significant attention to transnational repression, inviting individuals from China, India, Iran, and Russia to testify about harassment. Ahead of federal elections, a government task force revealed that the Chinese government carried out a smear campaign against a candidate critical of Beijing, portraying them as an international fugitive. This warning followed the withdrawal of several candidates amid allegations of extraterritorial intimidation by the governments of China and India.
To combat these tactics, British and Canadian lawmakers have addressed requests from affected communities by passing legislation that criminalizes certain acts performed on behalf of or for the benefit of a foreign entity. Freedom House notes that criminalization expands avenues for prosecution and brings public attention to the issue.
Institutional Coordination and the Path Forward
Institutional architecture to combat foreign interference has evolved with the creation of the National Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator in 2023, a position housed in the Department of Public Safety. Freedom House suggests that Canadian authorities should raise public awareness about the coordinator’s work and systematize public engagement.
Furthermore, analysts argue that the Canadian government should empower diasporas by making funding available to them and to human rights organizations. Such funding would allow communities to develop customized toolkits for addressing transnational repression, which frequently includes digital harassment or coercion by proxy—the application of pressure via family members still residing in the country of origin.
Economic Partnerships Versus Multilateral Sanctions
Canada has participated in multilateral responses to transnational repression by utilizing foreign policy tools such as sanctions. However, Freedom House reports that the cohesiveness of these responses has sometimes been diminished by the desire to maintain economic partnerships with offending governments.
