Foreign interference is not just a Canadian problem. What are our allies saying?

As attention on foreign interference grows in Canada, its allies are sounding the alarm over the scale of the issue in their own nations.

Despite the growing number of reports, attempted foreign interference isn’t a unique Canadian problem.

However, Canadian intelligence officials need to follow in the footsteps of their allies in being more forthcoming about it, a former Canadian diplomat to China says.

Over the last number of weeks, Global News and The Globe and Mail have revealed detailed reports showing the scope of China’s alleged efforts to influence Canadian society, including allegations of attempts to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ensured the integrity of those results — but so far has not clearly answered questions about calls for a public inquiry into the matter, despite calls from prominent officials to do so.

As attention on the issue grows in Canada, allies are sounding the alarm over the scale of foreign interference in their own nations — a step Canadian officials should be doing more frequently, says Charles Burton, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

“They tend to refuse to give details, claiming that for operational reasons they cannot provide these details, which makes it very hard for the parliamentarians to have a sound basis for recommending improved legislation or for urging government to enforce existing regulations,” he told Global News.

“This is a cultural issue with our security and intelligence services, possibly due to direction from government, that they just aren’t giving us the information we need to know to effectively counter these operations,” he continued.

“They’re only providing the government with the information that they are ongoing and the government is evidently filing that and not taking the appropriate action that I think Canadians want our government to take in response to these very serious allegations.”