Hong Kong Watch publishes new briefing on countering foreign interference in industry and technology in Canada
Today, Hong Kong Watch released a briefing on foreign interference in industry and technology in Canada. The briefing provides a background summary that outlines the scope of interference, case studies, and recommendations for the Government of Canada.
Hong Kong Watch found significant gaps in the ability of the Government of Canada to counter industrial and economic espionage, especially in technology and intellectual property. To protect Canada’s valuable growth and competitive advantages, a three-pronged approach is recommended to counter the growing threats of economic and technological espionage of ALL adversarial foreign states:
Regulatory Enhancement:
Expedite the legislation of the Foreign Influence Registry Act
Enact a federal Canada Trade Secrets Act to facilitate prosecution proceedings and ensure consistency across provinces
Strengthening Institutional Security:
For corporations: Enhance internal cybersecurity measures and guard against insider threats through robust employee vetting processes
For universities and academic institutions: Tighten research evaluation processes, following national security guidelines for research partnership risk assessments
Scrutinizing Access to Advanced Technologies:
Restrict access to selected research and technologies to prevent their study, investment, or acquisition by malign foreign states
Initiate a committee study to assess our effectiveness in reviewing foreign investments and whether we have a broad enough mandate under the Investment Canada Act to review transactions on national security grounds
The full briefing can be read here.
Katherine Leung, Hong Kong Watch’s Policy Advisor for Canada, commenting on the briefing, said:
“Foreign interference stretches far and wide across different areas of Canadian society. We need to make sure that we have the tools necessary to counter industrial and economic espionage. We have known for many years now that Canada is a target – it is high time that we put in the legislative frameworks to counter the threat and protect Canadian interests.”
香港監察發表外國干預加拿大工業和科技簡報 建議三管齊下打擊工業和經濟間諜活動
香港監察今日發表關於外國干預加拿大工業和科技的簡報。簡報就相關議題提供背景摘要，概述了干預範圍、個案研究和給加拿大政府的建議。
香港監察發現加拿大政府打擊工業和經濟間諜活動大為不力，尤其是在科技和知識產權領域。為保障加拿大的重要發展和競爭優勢，香港監察建議採取三管齊下方案，藉以應對所有敵對外國經濟和科技間諜活動與日俱增的威脅：
加強監管：
加快《外國影響力登記法》立法
頒布聯邦層面的《加拿大商業秘密法》，促進起訴程序並確保各省之間保持一致
加強機構內部安全：
企業：透過穩健的僱員審查流程，加強內部網絡安全措施並防範內部威脅
大學和學術機構：嚴加管制研究評估流程，並遵循研究夥伴關係風險評估的國家安全準則
審查先進科技的獲取方：
限制特定研究和技術的獲取權，防止外國惡意研究、投資或收購
成立調查委員會，評估我們審核外國投資的有效性，以及根據《加拿大投資法》是否有足夠廣泛的授權，能以國家安全為由審核交易
請在此處閱讀簡報全文。
香港監察加拿大政策顧問Katherine Leung對此表示：
「外國干預廣泛影響加拿大社會的各個領域，我們需要確保有必要工具來打擊工業和經濟間諜活動。我們多年來一直知道加拿大是外國干預目標，現在是時候制訂立法框架來應對威脅並保障加拿大利益了。」