15 August 2018•Update: 15 August 2018
By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Canada
Canada’s four major political parties are increasing security to fight off foreign influence in the 2019 federal election, according to media reports Wednesday.
Although all four – the governing Liberals, and the Conservative, New Democrat and the Green parties – will not discuss specifics, they admit taking security steps after a report on cyber threats urged precautions.
The report, commissioned by Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould last year, said, “multiple hacktivist groups will very likely deploy cyber capabilities in an attempt to influence the democratic process” in the Oct. 21, 2019 election.
“We are constantly updating and utilizing new technologies to improve our safeguards,” New Democrat spokesperson Guillaume Francoeur stated in an email. “Across the internet and social media platforms, we’re seeing how easily Canadians and their information can be targeted by those with duplicitous intentions.”
Experts said that while the parties are wise to be concerned and act on it, most of the weight for preventing cyber interference rests on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his governing Liberals.
“Quite a lot rests upon the state (government) to protect the election integrity,” said Janus Sarts, director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence.
Toward that end, the Liberals have introduced various measures, including Bill C-76, the Election Modernization Act, that “creates an obligation for political parties and third parties to identify themselves in partisan advertising during the defined period before the election period,” said Jordan Owens, a representative for the Democratic Institution Ministry.
That is key to ensure information posted comes from a legitimate source.
“Whatever group is advertising during the campaign, whatever political party they’re supporting or movements they’re supporting, that needs to be transparent,” said Conservative MP Bob Zimmer, who has met with representatives from the U.S. and Britain to discuss the issue. “Whether people like it or not, what we are moving away from is anonymity on the social media platforms.”
The concern of Canadian politicians to protect the integrity of elections is in stark contrast to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump has changed his stance several times, saying Russia did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election, then reversing himself to say the Russians did – to help elect Democrats.
