Canada’s primary domestic intelligence service has issued a warning that foreign state actors, principally Russia and China, are intensifying their espionage operations in the nation’s resource-rich and strategically vital Arctic territories.
In a public address outlining national security concerns, the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) stated that both nations maintain a “significant intelligence interest” in the region. He reported that the agency has documented a range of cyber and traditional intelligence-gathering activities aimed at Canadian government entities and private sector organizations operating in the north.
The assessment underscores growing international competition over Arctic sovereignty, shipping lanes, and access to critical minerals. In response, the Canadian government has recently committed substantial new funding for northern infrastructure, including airports and ports, and is considering significant investments in naval capabilities, such as new submarines and icebreakers. Senior officials have also called for the NATO alliance to increase its strategic focus on the Arctic domain.
Beyond the Arctic, the intelligence chief disclosed specific operational successes in countering foreign threats. He revealed that CSIS recently intervened to prevent Russian operatives from illicitly procuring Canadian technology and goods through European front companies, materials intended for use in the conflict in Ukraine. Upon being alerted, the targeted Canadian firms reportedly ceased dealings immediately.
The service also reported attempts by Chinese intelligence to recruit Canadian citizens possessing sensitive information and military expertise. Furthermore, the address included a first public confirmation that CSIS has acted to disrupt “potentially lethal” plots orchestrated by Iranian intelligence services against dissidents residing in Canada. The agency had to reallocate resources to investigate and counter these direct threats to individuals on Canadian soil.
Canada’s diplomatic relationship with Iran has been severed for over a decade, and the government recently designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity—a move that was met with strong criticism from Tehran.