CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022

While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.

While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.

After the issue around when parliamentarians were informed was raised in the House of Commons on Monday, CSE spokesperson Ryan Foreman told CTV News on Tuesday that CSE shared "specific, actionable technical information on this threat," with both House and Senate IT officials.

"As would be our normal process with other Government of Canada partners when threats are detected," Foreman said. "Once the FBI report was received by Canada’s security agencies, the information that included the names of the targeted parliamentarians was shared immediately."

"Questions related to how MPs are engaged on situations like this would be best addressed by HoC officials," he added, in an updated statement after another spokesperson indicated that in this case, the House "briefed and informed MPs with a general message."

It's not clear what that general message entailed.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said on Monday that he and other members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) – of which Genuis co-chairs – only learned their email accounts were targeted last week, following the unsealing of a U.S. Department of Justice indictment in March.

"I find that is disgraceful," Liberal MP Judy Sgro told CTV News Tuesday. Sgro was one of the parliamentarians affected by the hacking incident but was never informed of it by House of Commons staff.