Trudeau gov withholds critical information from MPs targeted in Chinese cyber-attacks
Liberal MP John McKay and Conservative MP Garnett Genuis were left in the dark about the attack, which occurred in 2021, and only learned of it through an unsealed FBI affidavit in March 2024, according to testimony at the Foreign Interference Commission headed by Justice Marie Hogue.
Liberal MP John McKay and CPC MP Garnett Genuis tell the Foreign Interference Commission they were unaware they were the targets of a cyber attack by the PRC until an American indictment was unsealed earlier this year. pic.twitter.com/HjoNiegzz5
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 17, 2024
The cyber-attack, orchestrated by APT31, a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, specifically targeted members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) for their work raising awareness of Beijing’s human rights abuses. Despite the Canadian government being informed of the attack in 2022 by U.S. authorities, it chose not to directly notify the MPs involved.
The Liberal Govt knew in at least 2022 (maybe sooner) that MPs critical of China were the subjects of a PRC cyber attack. The targeted MPs only found out about it after an unsealed American indictment in March 2024. pic.twitter.com/rA3xY06OoR
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 17, 2024
Garnett Genuis, MP for Sherwood Park- Fort Saskatchewan, known for his outspoken criticism of the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of Uyghurs and undermining of Taiwan’s sovereignty, expressed frustration that neither he nor McKay were informed by Canadian authorities.
Instead, the government passed the information to the Parliamentary IT department, which has no oversight of MPs' personal communications. This decision left Genuis and McKay exposed, along with anyone they were in contact with, to further risks posed by Beijing’s hacking efforts.
MPs Genius and McKay tell the Foreign Interference Commission they fear for the safety of their contacts in the diaspora communities after the Chinese cyber attack that targeted them
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 17, 2024
"I recall a specific conversation with a Hong Kong activist and she was, I feared for her… pic.twitter.com/DhvCrLqMPt
“We were not informed [about the attack], and it remains mysterious to me why no one thought I should have a right to know,” Genuis testified. “The government of Canada had this information but chose not to tell us.”
After the PRC cyber-attacked anti-CCP MPs, the Liberal government never bothered to security scan their devices for CCP malware or monitoring. pic.twitter.com/IJevOTtM4b
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 17, 2024
Genuis testified he would have been happy to co-operate with security officials, but none followed up.
CPC MP Garnett Genuis, targeted in a cyber attack by the PRC, tells the lawyer for the Govt of Canada that he would have been happy to cooperate with security agencies, except no one ever followed up with him. pic.twitter.com/jvf3pQGWpH
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 17, 2024
Testimony from new witnesses continues Wednesday in Ottawa.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
https://mybook.to/sheilaFeatured Stories
14:44
