Canada Accuses Chinese of Trying to Hack Government Network

Canada made a significant claim on Tuesday, attributing a cyber attack on a pivotal computer network to Chinese hackers, an act which prompted an official complaint to Beijing. This incident escalated tensions amidst Canada’s consideration of increasing oil exports to China.

Authorities pointed fingers at a “highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored entity” as responsible for a recent breach in the National Research Council, Canada’s leading research organisation, which has collaborative ties with major corporations such as aircraft and train manufacturer Bombardier Inc. Canada has previously fallen victim to hacking attempts, but this occasion marked the first explicit accusation towards China.

China, often pointed as a potential culprit in many cyber attacks on organisations across the United States and other countries, refuted these allegations as baseless.

John Baird, Canada’s Foreign Minister, extensively discussed this incident with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a meeting held in Beijing, as per Baird’s spokesperson. “This issue is of deep concern to the government, and we are addressing it at the topmost levels in both Beijing and Ottawa,” remarked spokesperson Adam Hodge.

Canada’s chief government information officer, Corinne Charette, stated that despite the research council’s computers operating independently from the broader government system, they were isolated as a precautionary measure. “There is no evidence suggesting data breaches have occurred within the wider government of Canada network,” she clarified in a statement.

The National Research Council has initiated the creation of an additional secure network, which may take roughly a year to be completely functional.

Yang Yundong, a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, refuted allegations about Beijing’s involvement in these cyber attacks. “Making baseless speculations and accusations on cyber attacks for different purposes is not professional nor responsible,” he asserted.

Since coming to power in 2006, the Conservative government in Canada has had a wavering relationship with Beijing. Initially maintaining substantial distance due to human rights concerns, internal business pressures eventually compelled Prime Minister Stephen Harper to extend a hand.

During a tour to three Chinese cities in early 2012, Harper committed to augment oil exports, underlining the necessity to seek new markets. The US is presently the prime buyer of Canada’s crude oil.

This recent cyber attack on the research council is just one in a series of hacking attempts linked to China happening on Canadian ground. In 2011, hackers penetrated the finance ministry’s computer network and those of other government departments. Nonetheless, the Conservative government refrained from commenting on suspicions of China’s involvement.

In 2012, Canada confirmed an additional security breach at a domestic software manufacturer used by energy companies but once again refrained from attributing the hacking incident to China.

Despite these occurrences, neither the latest annual report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service nor Canada’s official cyber security strategy highlights China. Conversely, other countries like the US, have taken more active measures. Case in point, the U.S. Department of Justice has lodged charges against a Chinese businessman for hacking into the computer systems of Boeing and other firms.

Minor enhancements were applied in 2025 for readability.