Spying is a two way street. An article in OurWindsor.ca reveals that during the past decade, Canada has given the boot to 21 spies, 5 of them returned to the US.
From 2004 to 2014 Ottawa sent back to the U.S. five of a total of 21 of those barred from Canada “on security grounds for engaging in an act of espionage that is against Canada or that is contrary to Canada’s interests,” according to a document produced by Canada Border Services Agency.
It’s not clear whether the espionage was by foreign government agents or whether it was industrial espionage — that is, spying to obtain state secrets or spying that targeted intellectual property or corporate secrets.
A document released under the Access to Information law shows the suspected spies were permanent residents or foreign nationals deemed inadmissible on security grounds, but does not break down them down by citizenship. Rather, it indicates the country to which the spies were sent back to.
Still, the fact that the U.S. is the origin of the most espionage cases is surprising, especially given the emphasis put by federal politicians — including two former CSIS directors, one of whom is now national security advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper — on China as a suspected source of espionage.
The U.S. actually tops this list, followed by China, India and Sweden with two expulsions each in 10 years.
The only two ousters of suspected spies to China are listed in 2014, with no earlier expulsion for the nine years prior.
Russia accounts for just one expulsion — in 2004 — in the decade covered by the search.
“We have long been concerned with espionage,” CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) director Michel Coulombe told a Senate committee last month.
“Our industrial capabilities, rich natural resources and access to key allies make Canada an attractive target for hostile actors. What is new, however, is the sheer breadth of today’s targets and the use of cyber attacks, which are efficient, cost-effective and most importantly, deniable, providing anonymity for their perpetrators.”
“Canada’s economic and strategic interests and assets are also susceptible to the threat of espionage, interference and the transfer of technologies. Corporate acquisitions by foreign entities, particularly when state-owned, can also pose risks, and CSIS provides advice to the government in such cases in accordance with the CSIS Act.”
Canada evicts spies
Paul Frazer, a Washington-based consultant and former Canadian diplomat who was posted to Washington from 1995-2001 said in an interview the overall numbers were surprising, as was the lack of public statement about any of the evictions.
He said it would be useful to know whether they were cases of industrial or government-to-government espionage, and wondered whether there were any arrests, charges or convictions. But he suggested governments may choose to keep certain suspected spying cases — such as in the diplomatic community — quiet in order to avoid a tit-for-tat escalation of evictions.
That happened when Frazer was a ministerial staffer in the late 1980s to then-External Affairs Minister Joe Clark. Canada evicted eight Soviet officials and barred nine others for allegedly seeking access to classified American naval technology here.
Frazer said the numbers of those evicted for espionage are small compared to a much larger number that Canada regularly deems inadmissible for reasons of “criminality.”