China, Russia Cited Among Canada's Chief National Security Concerns - Parliamentary Report

TORONTO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2021) China and Russia are among Canada's chief national security concerns, the country's National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) said.

"The threat from espionage and foreign interference is significant and continues to grow. Several

states are responsible for conducting such activities in Canada, but intelligence shows that China and Russia remain the Primary culprits," the committee said in its annual report for 2020.

The parliamentary committee alleges that China, Russia and Iran targeted Canada's COVID-19 vaccine research, despite not a single vaccine candidate from the country advancing to the clinical trial phase.

NSICOP also alleges that state actors, most notably China and Russia, engage in malicious cyber activity aimed at targeting Canada's critical infrastructure, conducting online influence campaigns and monitoring dissidents abroad.

The report also highlighted the growing threat from organized crime and terror groups, both foreign and domestic. The report, citing Canada's primary intelligence service (CSIS), say that out of 200 extremists, who have traveled abroad, 61 have returned to Canada, while 122 are in Turkey, Syria and Iraq with a redacted share of those being deceased.