Eight foreigners expelled from Canada for spying or terrorism in 2020

The federal government removed eight foreigners suspected of espionage, subversion, or terrorism from Canada in 2020, documents from the department of Public Safety show.

According to the Globe and Mail, the documents do not reveal the country of origin for the eight individuals, and no additional information was given on the nature of their activities.

Recent interviews with Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director-general Mike Burgess reveal that several countries have had to weed out foreign agents, who try to "steal trade secrets" from top companies.

"They're coming in and asking for information inside those industries," said Burgess in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.

"Sometimes… they're after intellectual property, but it can actually be on the business dealings: what they’re doing, how the organization is going, how it might be feeling about Australian government policies, how attentive the Australian government is to it."

A spokesperson from Canada's Department of Public Safety told The Globe that the eight people, who were removed on security grounds, may "include persons who are found inadmissible for espionage, subversion, terrorism and/or for membership in groups involved in such activities."

The statement went on to say that the Department of Public Safety "cannot give information regarding specific removals, including confirming or denying if a specific person has been removed."