The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has warned Inuit leaders that foreign adversaries could gain a foothold in Canada by offering to fill infrastructure gaps in the North.Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent crashes through the ice near Resolute Bay, Nunavut on July 12, 2008. CSIS has warned the region's leaders that foreign adversaries may try to gain a foothold in the region through investment.
Internal CSIS documents obtained by CBC News show that the agency is trying to grow its presence in the North and deepen its relationship with Inuit communities in response to "economic, strategic and military interests of foreign states in the North." "CSIS's interests in Canada's North and the Arctic stem from our mandated responsibilities to address security threats, including foreign interference and espionage," the talking points say.
"It's just a very general statement about other nation states wishing to make foreign investments in this country so as to enable them to do other business within the country, or intelligence gathering within Canada," he said. The report summarizes a 2022 phone meeting between representatives of the ITK and CSIS officials. They discussed the North's infrastructure deficit and "how China helps develop infrastructure rapidly," the document says.
"They use foreign investment as a door, as an entry point, to gain access to markets, to gain access to government, to investors as well," he said. "Militarily, there could be opportunities for China there as well, to increase not only their capabilities in the Arctic but to use the Arctic as a testing ground of sorts for carrying out conflict in other parts of the world."Obed said he also raised with Vigneault the issue of research in the Arctic.
A suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina on February 4, 2023. He said he wants a security clearance that would allow him "to understand what is happening in the Arctic" and provide advice on sensitive files. He said his request for a security clearance hasn't been granted.Obed is not the only leader to find CSIS's briefings lacking.