2 days Ago By Andrew Chen
Canadian MPs targeted by Chinese hackers in 2021 told the Foreign Interference Inquiry they were caught in an attack aimed at members of an international lawmakers’ coalition. They say this signals the coalition’s significance in countering Beijing’s human rights abuses, with one MP raising concerns that their efforts may continue to attract unwelcome attention from the regime. When asked why he believes he was targeted by Chinese hackers, McKay cited his various roles in Parliament and his advocacy with IPAC on issues that he said were “unwelcome in Beijing.
” McKay currently serves as chair of the House of Commons National Defence Committee and the Canada-U.S. Permanent Joint Board on Defence, roles he suggested could attract the interest of Chinese spies.
“Those are the direct security things,” McKay told the commission. He also cited activities with organizations such as IPAC, being a former chair of the Taiwan Friendship Committee and other roles, as well as “articles and interviews, possibly all of that leads to something.” “I’m more inclined to think this is just a scatter-gun approach and we were caught up in the net of interest,” he added.
Genuis said he also believes the cyberattack was “a generalized targeting of IPAC members,” adding that it suggests recognition of IPAC’s advocacy on human rights and issues like Taiwan, Uyghurs, and others. IPAC is a legislative network focused on issues related to China. Genuis said the group advocates for a “realistic approach” toward the regime that prioritizes human rights and universal dignity, contrary to the appeasement strategy, which he said “has not been effective.
” Following the 2021 cyberattack, the FBI had alerted IPAC about the attempt and notified allied governments but did not directly inform legislators outside the United States due to sovereignty concerns, Genuis told the Foreign Interference Commission. Genuis and several other targeted MPs have been questioning which government department should be responsible for informing victims in such cases. He reiterated this concern at the Foreign Interference hearing.
“The most fundamental thing is that when government becomes aware of threats, they should talk to [parliamentarians] about it,” he said. “It remains mysterious to me why nobody thought I had a right to know this information that was very important to how I would protect myself and the people that I correspond with. I think this is a big failure.
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