The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) released its 2025 Public Report in March, which is undoubtedly a highly impactful “diagnosis” of national security. The report clearly states that Canada is facing its most severe national security environment since the Cold War, and that the most central and complex threat is “foreign interference.”
Multidimensional national security challenges
The report characterizes the current threat environment as “omnipresent infiltration.” The Director of CSIS stated bluntly that the boundaries of traditional “espionage” have blurred, and that foreign interference is permeating every aspect of Canadian society — from federal elections to school board elections, from cutting-edge laboratories to community WeChat groups.
The report lists five core threats:
- Foreign interference (FI): With the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Russia, India, and Iran as the primary actors.
- Economic security threats: Strategic plundering of critical minerals, AI, and biotechnology.
- Transnational repression (TNR): A reign of terror targeting dissidents and expatriates within Canada.
- Violent extremism: Ideology-driven domestic radicalization.
- Cyber aggression: Pre-embedded attacks targeting critical infrastructure.
The report emphasizes that a major change in 2025 is the “upgrading of the legal arsenal.” With the full implementation of the Anti-Foreign Interference Act (Bill C-70), CSIS has gained new powers to share classified information with the private sector and has established the “Foreign Influence Transparency Registry.”
Political penetration: From the ‘grassroots’ to the ‘core of power’
Throughout the report, CCP activities are listed as the highest-level security threat. CSIS notes that CCP interference is not the sporadic action of a single department, but rather “whole-of-government infiltration” coordinated by the United Front Work Department (UFWD), the Ministry of State Security (MSS), and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The report notes that the CCP’s political interference in Canada has become highly “localized,” and highlights an alarming case depicting a type of “shadow agent” program.
In the 2025 local elections, the CCP indirectly funneled funds to certain candidates perceived as “pro-CCP” through multi-tiered commercial contracts. These candidates were often not of Chinese descent, but their policy stances aligned closely with Beijing’s interests in key trade and geopolitical matters.
Transnational repression: Implementing ‘red terror’ on Canadian soil
The CSIS report also devotes significant attention to “transnational repression,” describing it as a blatant disregard for Canadian sovereignty.
The report highlights the concept of “digital long-arm jurisdiction” and describes the experience of a Uyghur international student in Toronto. Hours after the student participated in a human rights rally on campus, his parents in Xinjiang were taken to a local police station and forced to video call him. During the call, police informed the student about his family’s situation and demanded that he become a “campus observer” to report on the activities of other dissident students.
Technology plunder: Strategic harvesting under the guise of ‘business cooperation’
The CCP’s infiltration of Canada’s scientific research sector has shifted from simple “theft” to a more sophisticated form of “legal absorption.” The report also describes a form of talent “baiting” known as the “Technology Startup Challenge.” CCP-linked entities organized high-profile startup competitions in Vancouver and Montreal to attract quantum computing and biopharmaceutical startups.
The report notes that certain joint research projects at Canadian universities partner with the CCP’s “Seven Defense Universities.” Under the guise of “green energy” or “public health,” these projects are actually providing foundational theoretical support for the CCP’s hypersonic weapons and biometric surveillance systems.
New trends in 2025: AI-driven ‘cognitive warfare’
The CSIS 2025 report specifically emphasizes that the CCP has become a “pioneer” in using generative AI to carry out interference. Chinese intelligence agencies have begun using AI-generated avatars of virtual recruiters on professional social media platforms like LinkedIn in what the report describes as “Stealth Recruitment” on job sites, extensively contacting former government employees or consultants with Canadian security clearances and luring them with offers of “high-paying consulting positions.”
Canada’s defense and countermeasures: Building ‘social resilience’
Facing the CCP’s relentless pressure, CSIS proposes a comprehensive defense framework in its report:
- Intelligence-driven public alerts: CSIS will no longer report solely to the Cabinet, but will directly engage with communities and universities through “resilience briefings” to inform at-risk individuals: “You are being monitored, and we can provide protection.”
- Strengthening supply chain scrutiny: The report recommends that the government expand security reviews to cover all equity mergers and acquisitions involving critical technologies, regardless of transaction size.
- Multilateral coordination: The report emphasizes that countering CCP interference cannot be done in isolation. Canada is working closely with the Five Eyes alliance and the Group of Seven (G7) to establish a big data-sharing platform for foreign agent activities.
A protracted battle for ‘freedom’
The CSIS 2025 Public Report conveys a profound message to all Canadians: national security is no longer a distant geopolitical concept, but the very foundation upon which every citizen can vote, speak, and conduct research without fear.
Foreign interference is a “frog in boiling water” style of erosion. It exploits Canada’s openness, democracy, and inclusivity, seeking to alter the nation’s very fabric from within. As the report concludes: “Our defenses should not rely solely on surveillance by intelligence agencies, but rather on an informed and vigilant civil society.” In 2026, Canada is re-examining and reinforcing the cornerstones of its democracy on this “invisible battlefield.”
Translated by Audrey Wang and edited by Tatiana Denning
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