Targeted by the PRC: Stephanie gives testimony at PROC

This week MP Stephanie Kusie appeared as a witness in the standing committee on Procedure and House Affairs to discuss her experience after a targeted cyber-attack by the Chinese government that the government failed to inform her of for years.

Eighteen Members of Parliament connected to the interparliamentary alliance on China (IPAC) were targeted with a cyberattack by the PRC in late 2021. Although the FBI informed Canadian officials, parliamentarians were kept in the dark for two years until the FBI released the document and IPAC learned this information independently.

In her testimony, MP Kusie explained the impact that the realization of this attack had on her personal life and work, and the lack of follow-up communication from the government. Discussion revealed that there is a culture of secrecy in the government that has infected all institutions and leads to members being kept in the dark about targeted attacks that impact their safety.

Members need to be informed when they are targeted, and they need to be told how to protect themselves in the face of future attacks. This government needs to reform its policy on sharing information to better protect members and Canadians from foreign interference.