Elections Security Task Force Report on 2025 Liberal Leadership Contest
Thursday, October 9, 2025
OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 1, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada's security and intelligence organizations are at the frontline of Canada's actions to combat foreign interference campaigns against our democratic institutions. Under their individual mandates, the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force members continually undertake activities to detect and counter foreign interference.
The SITE Task Force plays an important role in safeguarding Canada's democratic institutions and processes. In January 2025, the SITE Task Force was activated to monitor the Liberal Party of Canada's leadership campaign for possible foreign interference.
Today, the SITE Task Force published its resulting report - Threats to the Liberal Party of Canada 2025 leadership campaign. The report highlights that the SITE Task Force did not find any incidents impacting the outcomes of the leadership contest.
During this period however, the SITE Task Force did observe and report on activity that was deemed to be foreign interference. This included online information manipulation campaigns detected through Global Affairs Canada's Rapid Response Mechanism and the SITE Task Force's mitigation of an information operation targeting contestant Chrystia Freeland. On February 7, 2025, the SITE Task Force briefed the executive of the Liberal Party of Canada and members of Ms. Freeland's leadership campaign about these findings, and published a statement to ensure public awareness of the manipulation activities.
The report also notes a security concern involving an individual identified by the RCMP. The individual was later successfully prevented from attending a campaign event held by contestant Mark Carney.
Other findings from the report include:
-- No cyber incidents were detected that suggested any foreign state actors
were specifically targeting Liberal Party of Canada leadership contest
infrastructure.
-- No direct violent extremist threats to the leadership contest were
identified on social media, message boards, chatrooms, online forums, or
in the media.
-- No direct threats were identified to the contestants, nor to the
administration of the contest.
The SITE Task Force concluded that these incidents did not impact the outcomes of the leadership contest.
As noted in the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) Special Report on Foreign Interference in Canada's Democratic Processes and Institutions and the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, leadership and nomination contests are susceptible to foreign influence. This was the first time the SITE Task Force was activated for a party leadership contest since the creation of the SITE Task Force in 2019. The SITE Task Force will monitor future leadership contests for officially recognized parties in the House of Commons.
The Government of Canada will continue to adapt its efforts against foreign interference so that Canadians can have confidence in the strength and the resilience of our democracy.
Quotes
"As foreign actors continue their attempts to influence our democratic processes, the Government of Canada is focused on protecting our democratic institutions from foreign interference through multiple mechanisms, including the SITE Task Force. Increasing public awareness of these efforts is key. This report contributes to that. A strong democracy, protected and supported by the efforts of our security and intelligence community is vital to ensuring a free and prosperous future for all Canadians."
-- Nathalie G. Drouin, Ad. E., Deputy Clerk to the Privy Council and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister
Quick Facts
-- The SITE Task Force is comprised of the Canadian Security Intelligence
Service, the Communications Security Establishment Canada, Global
Affairs Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
-- The SITE Task Force provides assessments and advice to Government
partners, senior public servants, and other relevant partners based on
collected intelligence on the threat environment around democratic
processes and institutions.
-- In January 2025, the scope of the SITE Task Force was expanded to
include by-elections and the general monitoring of the election-related
environment for recognized parties' leadership contests.
-- The SITE Task Force analyzes intelligence about foreign threat actors'
intentions and activities relating to foreign interference, as well as
any observations of threats of violent extremism directed at elections
or by-elections.
-- Since May 2023, the SITE Task Force has been active for all by-elections
and has produced public reports of its observations of any foreign
interference directed at by-elections.
Associated Links
-- Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force: Threats to
the Liberal Party of Canada 2025 leadership campaign - March 2025
-- Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force
-- Statement from the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and National
Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister (January 13,
2025)
SOURCE Privy Council Office
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