Response to Russian interference could prove difficult for Canadian officials
Russian attacks target grey areas of Canadian security, former CSIS head says
Russia's espionage tactics are making it difficult for Canada to coordinate an effective response, according to the former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
"The challenge with Russia is that Russia is pushing," Ward Elcock told The House.
"We tend to be more black and white, they're exposing the grey areas on us."
Instead of direct attacks, Elcock explained it's more common to see more subtle pushes. But the use of a nerve agent against former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the U.K. — which has been attributed to Russia — seemed to break that pattern.
"It's a fairly significant violation of the norms," Elcock said.
"In the circumstances, it's pretty hard to believe anybody would be responsible but the Russians."
British officials reacted quickly, vowing to expel 23 Russian diplomats from the country.
Prime Minister Theresa May said they would develop "new legislative powers to harden our defences."
Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland also weighed in on the attack, condemning the use of the chemical agent.
When asked if Canada should consider imposing new sanctions on Russia or implementing new legislation in response to the attack in the U.K., Elcock said he didn't think that would necessarily be effective.
"I think that merits a pushback, but what level of pushback is required is another question."
He explained that Canada is aware Russia is a threat, but because they haven't carried out an overt attack on Canadian soil, it leaves questions as to how to respond.
The best protection going forward is identifying and fixing gaps and weak points in security protocols, he added. That's the only way to be proactive in the face of a threat.
"[Vladmir Putin] is exploiting the gaps in the systems, he's not coming at us head on."