Navigating a New Era of Hostile State Activities: The Canadian Experience

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the explosive allegation in the House of Commons in September 2023 that Canada’s national security agencies had reason to believe that agents of the Indian government had been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen originally from India who supported an independent Sikh homeland. Canada’s security and intelligence community had been sounding the alarm for years about mounting threats, notably in public reports and speeches by senior officials. The establishment of a Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in late 2023 and subsequent public hearings in 2024 heightened conversations and concerns about hostile activities by state actors, or what some refer to as HASA. This is distinct from normal, if not always friendly, diplomatic conduct and advocacy: states often go beyond diplomacy to conduct activities that attempt to manipulate Canada’s open democracy and society clandestinely or deceptively. The chapter starts by defining HASA. It then offers two case studies of hostile activities, by the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran. It then offers a short overview of government policies to counter HASA.