In an intelligence-gathering operation launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members violated protocols by using their own personal computers and social media accounts to gather information about Canadians, according to a new report.
The CBC obtained the report via an access to information request, and The Epoch Times has not independently verified the information. The Department of National Defence did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
The report says that one of the military units, which had no background in intelligence, had members use their own social media accounts to search sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram to gauge public opinion. The report notes that since there were not enough government-issued laptops or VPNs available, members of of these units worked from home and gathered intelligence on their personal devices.
The operation involved an influence campaign to emphasize the threat COVID-19 posed, as well as to increase support for the CAF’s operations. But one of the teams reportedly gathered information about Canadians that neither the government nor the military asked them to collect, and did not immediately delete that information as they were required to.
The team also monitored the Black Lives Matter movement that was making headlines around that time, and informed commanders about possible protests near CAF facilities that could pose a risk to military personnel and Operation Laser.
The report admitted that in some cases, “the scope of analysis exceeded that which was necessary to answer these questions and a clear nexus between the products and the requirements of the mission was difficult to discern.”
Another team operating under Canadian Joint Operations Command wrote over 50 reports about the political discourse around COVID-19, misinformation, and statements Canadians made about the pandemic online. While the team was told to create new social media accounts to monitor the discourse, they disregarded the order and used their own personal accounts to do so.
All three teams also failed to use tools to conceal their identity, which risked exposing the CAF’s trade and work secrets, according to the report. They also failed to conduct obligatory risk assessments.
The report said the operation—which was not authorized by the federal government—was meant to stop civil disobedience by Canadians during the pandemic, while promoting government messaging about the crisis. A separate initiative involved compiling information on Black Lives Matter leaders and protests.
Months before the Ottawa Citizen article was published, then-Acting Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and Department of National Defence Deputy Minister Jody Thomas said in an internal document that the various propaganda initiatives had gotten out of control.
“Errors conducted during domestic operations and training, and sometimes insular mindsets at various echelons, have eroded public confidence in the institution,” noted a June 9, 2021, message they signed. They said this included a domestic operation conducted without the authorization of the chief of defence and “unsanctioned production of reports that appeared to be aimed at monitoring the activities of Canadians.”
