Project Sidewinder

Last updated
Project Sidewinder
Created1997
Location Canada
Commissioned by Government of Canada
Author(s) RCMP, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Subject China, Money laundering, Organized Crime

Project Sidewinder (officially Project Sidewinder: Chinese Intelligence Services and Triads Financial Links in Canada; sometimes called Operation Sidewinder) is a declassified study conducted by a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) joint task force. It controversially argues Chinese intelligence and Triads have been working together on intelligence operations in Canada. [1] The report was headed by former Asia Pacific Chief, Michel Juneau Katsuya. He later collaborated with various US counterparts who were investigating the links between Organized Crime (Criminal Triads), the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese business tycoons. Dubbed the Unholy Trinity by the U.S. Department of Justice in a later named collaboration between 5 US agencies including the FBI, DEA, DIA, NSIA and CIA. Dubbed Dragon Lord, a summary of the report was uncovered by former military intelligence analyst Scott McGregor and Documentary Journalist Ina Mitchell and published in their book The Mosaic Effect in October 2023. [2]

Contents

Overview

The Project Sidewinder study was conducted by a joint Canadian intelligence task force, composed of members of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1997. [3]

The study's authors allege after submitting the first draft, political interference led to the project being sidelined. Canada's top spymaster is also accused of destroying evidence related to his case. [4]

Letters between CSIS and the RCMP reveal the report had been altered. The RCMP accused CSIS of altering the report in a way that ultimately undermined its integrity. CSIS acknowledged it altered the reports but maintains it was due to a disagreement of facts. [5]

A review by Canada's Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) followed the leak. It concludes there is no threat that is ignored by the country's intelligence. As of 2021, academics say it is still unclear if that means the threat is overstated, or if intelligence is adequately monitoring the situation. [6]

In 2010, then director of CSIS Richard Fadden appeared on CBC News, and hinted the allegations are true. According to Fadden, the spy agency had been monitoring several members of British Columbia's municipal governments, due to the belief they are under the influence of foreign governments. He also alleged two provincial members of the Crown are under the influence of China, but declined to say which provinces. [7]

Fadden downplayed the seriousness of his allegations the following week, days ahead of the arrival of China's Premiere for the G20 Summit in Canada. [8]

Researchers cite the report as a long line of evidence showing the influence operations of the United Front in Canada. [9]

In 2021, Michel Juneau-Katsuya, one of the officers that worked on the original project testified to the Parliament of Canada they believe the evidence to be true. They cited an incident identified by Elections Canada, where they had found Chinese embassies had donated to political parties. This had been one of the key allegations made in Project Sidewinder. [10]

Key allegations

Criticism

The report was dismissed by the Canadian intelligence community, controversially dismissing its findings. At the time they don't support the findings of the report, and the analytic work wasn't up to standard. [12]

Subsequent findings weren't so clear. Analysts that worked on the report filed a complaint with Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC). SIRC's findings generally support the findings of the report, but dismissed the suggestion that Canada is unaware of any threats not monitored by intelligence agencies. [13]

Money laundering inquiry

In 2017, the Government of BC hired lawyer and former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German to investigate a number of themes brought up in the Sidewinder Report, resulting in the Dirty Money report. The report found money laundering by organized crime had become rampant at Canadian casinos. [14] A second volume of the report would later show a large share of the funds were the proceeds from fentanyl sales, and were subsequently “layered” into home purchases after being initially washed in the casinos. [15]

The findings in Dirty Money support many of the findings in Project Sidewinder. As an independent report, those findings were the basis of the Cullen Commission, BC's inquiry into money laundering. [16]

The report sparked a number of investigations and national security books covering the allegations. One, Nest of Spies , is written by some of the former intelligence agents that authored the report. [17]

In 2021, Wilful Blindness by Sam Cooper was published, covering how the allegations in Sidewinder evolved into larger scale operations. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Security Intelligence Service</span> Canadian intelligence agency

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's main national intelligence agency. It is responsible for collecting, analysing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad. The agency also reports to and advises the minister of public safety on national security issues and situations that threaten the security of the nation.

The Security Intelligence Review Committee was a committee of Privy Councillors that was empowered to serve as an independent oversight and review body for the operations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). The SIRC was established in 1984 as a result of the reorganization of Canadian intelligence agencies recommended by the McDonald Commission investigating the illegal activities of the former RCMP Security Service.

The RCMP Security Service was a branch of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that had responsibility for domestic intelligence and security in Canada. It was replaced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 1984 on the recommendation of the McDonald Commission, which was called in the wake of major scandals during the 1970s.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP, better known as the McDonald Commission, was a Royal Commission called by the Canadian government of Pierre Trudeau to investigate the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after a number of illegal activities by the RCMP Security Service came to light in the 1970s. The Commission, Judge David Cargill McDonald, was established on 6 July 1977 and issued its final report in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Coleman</span> Canadian politician

Richard Thomas Coleman is a Canadian politician and former police officer who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in British Columbia, representing Fort Langley-Aldergrove from 1996 to 2017, and Langley East from 2017 to 2020. As part of the British Columbia Liberal Party caucus, he served in several cabinet posts under Premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark, including as the 13th Deputy Premier of British Columbia from 2012 to 2017. He was also the party's interim leader and Leader of Opposition in British Columbia between 2017 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Lottery Corporation</span>

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is a Canadian Crown corporation offering a range of gambling products including lottery tickets, casinos and legal online gambling. It is based in Kamloops, with a secondary office in Vancouver. It consists of three business units, Lottery, Casino and eGaming; and five support divisions, Human Resources, Information Technology, Compliance & Security, Finance, and Communications. Its annual revenues exceed CDN $3.1 billion. It has 890 direct employees. Its service providers, who run casinos on its behalf under contract, have an additional 8,300 employees.

Michel Juneau-Katsuya is a former senior intelligence officer and manager at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">14K (triad)</span> Transnational organized crime group primarily based in Hong Kong

The 14K (十四K) is a triad group based in Hong Kong but active internationally. It is the second largest triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of the Sun Yee On, which is the largest triad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Fadden</span> Canadian politician

Richard Brian Marcel Fadden is a Canadian former civil servant who was the national security advisor to the prime minister of Canada and an associate secretary to the cabinet. He retired from that position on March 31, 2016. He had previously served as the deputy minister for the Department of National Defence from 2013 to 2015. From 2009 to 2013, he was the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). He was previously the deputy minister for Citizenship and Immigration Canada from 2006 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Canada</span> Institutional corruption in the country of Canada

Corruption is an increasing issue across Canada. On Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Canada scored 74 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, Canada ranked 14th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90, the average score was 43, and the worst score was 12. For comparison with regional scores, Canada's and Uruguay's score of 74 was the highest score among the countries of the Americas. Regionally, the average score was 43 and the lowest score was 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Eby</span> Premier of British Columbia since 2022

David Robert Patrick Eby is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has been serving as the 37th and current premier of British Columbia since November 18, 2022, and has been serving as the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) since October 21, 2022. A member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Eby has represented the riding of Vancouver-Point Grey since 2013. From 2017 to 2022, he served in the John Horgan cabinet as attorney general.

<i>National Security Act 2017</i> (Canada) National Security Act

The National Security Act, 2017 is a Canadian statute enacted by the Parliament of Canada to reform the oversight of the National Security Agencies of Canada, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). It also makes various adjustments to supporting legislation, including the National Defense Act, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act the Communications Security Establishment Act and the Criminal Code to support these new mechanisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extradition case of Meng Wanzhou</span> Canadian legal dispute

On December 1, 2018, Meng Wanzhou, the board deputy chairperson and daughter of the founder of the Chinese multinational technology corporation Huawei, was detained upon arrival at Vancouver International Airport by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers for questioning, which lasted three hours. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police subsequently arrested her on a provisional U.S. extradition request for fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in order to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran. On January 28, 2019, the United States Department of Justice formally announced financial fraud charges against Meng. The first stage of the extradition hearing for Meng began Monday, January 20, 2020, and concluded on May 27, 2020, when the Supreme Court of British Columbia ordered the extradition to proceed.

The Cullen Commission is a money laundering inquiry established by the Canadian province of British Columbia. Currently all evidence has been presented, and the Commission was given an extension until May 20, 2022, to deliver its findings. The findings were delivered to the BC attorney general on June 2, 2022, and require a review from the Attorney general of British Columbia before they can be released. The findings were expected to be released on June 15, 2022.

<i>Better Dwelling</i> Vancouver based financial media company.

Better Dwelling is a Vancouver-based daily news publisher and financial media company. It operates Canada's largest independent housing news outlet.

Peter German is a Canadian legal academic and anti-money laundering expert. He is best known as the author of the Dirty Money reports, as well as serving as the former deputy commissioner for western and northern Canada of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Sam Cooper is a Canadian investigative journalist and best-selling author, best known for his coverage of Canada–China relations and tensions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alleged Chinese government interference in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections</span> Alleged interference by China in Canadian elections

In 2022 and 2023, Canadian media reports alleged that the People's Republic of China had made attempts to interfere in the 2019 Canadian federal election and 2021 Canadian federal election and threatened Canadian politicians. In late 2022, the Global News television network reported on a suspected attempt by the PRC to infiltrate the Parliament of Canada by funding a network of candidates to run in the 2019 Canadian federal election. In early 2023, The Globe and Mail newspaper published a series of articles reporting that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), in several classified documents, advised that China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) and United Front Work Department had employed disinformation campaigns and undisclosed donations to support preferred candidates during the 2021 Canadian federal election, with the aim of ensuring that the Liberals would win again, but only with a minority.

Chinese government interference in Canada consists of espionage, compromise of politicians and government officials, election interference, and control of individuals and companies with ties to the Chinese government or Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

References

  1. 1 2 "China set up crime web in Canada, report says". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  2. ↑ McGregor, Scott, Mitchell, Ina (2023-10-26). The Mosaic Effect: How the Chinese Communist Party Started a Hybrid WAR in America's Backyard (1st ed.). Canada: Optimum Publishing International. pp. 7–21. ISBN   978-0-88890-316-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 "Sidewinder: Chinese Intelligence Services and Triads Financial Links in Canada". www.primetimecrime.com. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  4. ↑ "RCMP, CSIS dropped the ball: why?". CBC News . CBC News. Nov 12, 1999. Retrieved Nov 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Mounties blamed CSIS for sanitizing Sidewinder". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  6. 1 2 Unger, Granite Adams (2021). "Red Scare Three: Now With Chinese Characteristics". The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare – via SFU Publishing.
  7. 1 2 "Some politicians under foreign sway: CSIS". CBC News . Jun 22, 2010.
  8. ↑ Fong, Petti (2010-06-23). "CSIS head backtracks on allegations of foreign influence over Canadian officials". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  9. ↑ Unger, Granite Adams (2021-05-31). "Red Scare Three: Now with Chinese Characteristics". The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare. 4 (1): 21–39. doi: 10.21810/jicw.v4i1.2748 . ISSN   2561-8229. S2CID   236416375.
  10. ↑ "Evidence - CACN (43-2) - No. 23 - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  11. ↑ "Project Sidewinder: Canadian Security, Chinese Infiltration, and the Long Cold War". Asia Dialogue. 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  12. ↑ "Mounties blamed CSIS for sanitizing Sidewinder". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  13. ↑ Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada. "Information archivée dans le Web" (PDF). publications.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  14. ↑ "Organized crime a 'threat to public safety' in B.C. casinos: gov't report". Victoria Times Colonist. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  15. ↑ Journal, Samuel RubenfeldWall Street (2018-06-29). "Corruption Currents: British Columbia Casinos Laundered Drug Money, Report Finds". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  16. ↑ "Money-laundering inquiry must judge whether corruption reached top of B.C. government". globalnews.ca. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  17. ↑ Wark, Wesley (2009-11-13). "Review: Nest of Spies, by Fabrice de Pierrebourg and Michel Juneau-Katsuya". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  18. ↑ "Douglas Todd: Sam Cooper's exposé of corruption in Canada tops bestseller list". vancouversun. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.