A former top security adviser to the prime minister came across “smoking gun”-level intelligence about foreign interference in the 2021 election, an inquiry heard.
David Morrison, currently a deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, said he had seen the intelligence in the weeks following the Sept. 20, 2021 election.
Mr. Morrison, who briefly served as as National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NISA) from late 2021 to early 2022, provided his evidence to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference April 8.
The significant intelligence required taking immediate action, Mr. Morrison explained in his interview summary with the commission. He said raw intelligence “rarely formed the basis for immediate action,” but noted three instances where it had been required.
The intelligence pertaining to the three instances was obtained through signals intelligence—the interception of electronic communications—says the summary, which Mr. Morrison asserted “can be more reliable than human intelligence.”
“He viewed this intelligence as the closest thing to a ’smoking gun' that he had seen during his tenure as NSIA,” says the interview summary.
The intelligence pertained to “potential” foreign interference during the 2021 election involving an unnamed country. Mr. Morrison said he flagged the report immediately.
Mr. Morrison was asked to clarify the matter when he testified at the inquiry April 8.
“In this setting, I cannot say any more than is already reflected in the documents,” he said.
“The most significant piece of intelligence CSE collected in relation to the 2019 and 2021 elections was obtained shortly after the 2021 election,” says the commission’s interview summary with CSE executives.
The intelligence pertained to the “distribution of funds” by an unspecified foreign actor, according to the agency responsible for collecting signals intelligence.
CSE is generally not allowed to collect information on Canadians or within Canada, but the information it intercepted involved Canadian individuals. Their identities were masked in the disseminated report, but security agencies requested the unmasking to pursue investigative avenues.
The evidence provided by CSE did not identify whether the information collected after the 2021 election pertained to that election itself, or whether it related to the 2019 election.
The testimony from Mr. Morrison links the “smoking gun” intelligence to the 2021 election.
Intelligence about the Chinese regime providing $250,000 in funding to preferred candidates in the 2019 election has been leaked in the press and, more recently, disclosed to the public inquiry.
Nathalie Drouin, who served as a member of the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (“panel of five”), testified she couldn’t “recall receiving that level” of detail about a specific dollar amount being provided to candidates.
“We were aware there were financial support allegations for some candidates,” said Monik Beauregard, another panel member.
The panel of five is responsible for alerting the public if there is a threat to the integrity of the elections. Ms. Drouin said the information they received didn’t meet the threshold to make an announcement.
Commissioner of Canada Elections Caroline Simard told the inquiry March 28 her office is investigating potential breaches of the Canada Elections Act, including the transfer of $250,000 by the Chinese regime.
The public inquiry is hearing April 9 from top public servants and the prime minister’s political staff. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will testify April 10, along with several other ministers.
